At the Fiera del Levante in Bari, in the heart of the BTM 2026 – Business Tourism Management, the SAY YES section hosted a panel that touched deep strings, woven identity, memory and future. The title already told a world: “Hoboken and return tourism: when the roots become destination. Marriage as a bridge between generations and geographies. ”
A theme that not only speaks of tourism, but of belonging. Of families leaving and returning. Of communities that, while living far, continue to look at Puglia as at their home.
The panel focused the many communities of the Apulians in the World, protagonists of a collective history that has never interrupted. A story made of painful departures, sacrifices, but also successes, pride and a bond that crosses oceans and generations.
Today that link is called return tourism: a phenomenon that is not only travel, but reconnection. Reconnect with the family, with the community, with memory.
Among the most anticipated voices, Roberto Pansini, International Ambassador of the Hoboken Italian Festival and CEO of I Love Molfetta, for over twenty years a reference point for the Molfettesi communities abroad.
Pansini recalled how return tourism is an emotional and strategic lever: a journey that regenerates territories, economies and above all identity.
He brought the most powerful example: in New Jersey, the Molfette community is preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Hoboken Italian Festival – the Feast of Madonna dei Martiri, an event that attracts thousands of people and represents one of the largest cultural bridges between Puglia and the United States.
The panel also welcomed the testimony of Daniele Di Fronzo, Vice President of the General Council of Apulians in the World – Puglia Region, who stressed the strength of the Apulian communities in Chicago and their role in generating tourist flows to the region.
To follow, Francesco Muciaccia di Pugliapromozione has brought data and confirmations: Puglia is today an international brand, recognized for history, authenticity, food, hospitality, and the new air routes are significantly expanding the number of foreign visitors.
The tourism of the roots, he explained, is not a niche: it is a motor that grows, that emotions, that creates lasting connections.
The journalist Antonio Marzano, moderator of the meeting, highlighted another phenomenon in strong growth: the choice of Puglia as a place to celebrate international weddings.
Not only for the beauty of the places, but for that way of life that puts in the center heat, conviviality, slowness, authenticity. Characteristics that make you feel who comes… already home.
In closing, the greetings of Davide Ippolito, CEO and Founder of Il Newyorkese and director of the documentary “New York Solo Andata”, which tells the American dream of the first Italian emigrants.
From his editorial, he explained, comes a very clear feedback: Italians abroad speak more and more about tourism of the roots, of return, of belonging. And the new generations – children and grandchildren of emigrants – want to discover the land of their grandparents, touch it, live it, feel it own.
The meeting was intense, full of visions and testimonies. He showed a Puglia that continues to speak to the world with its authenticity, and a world that continues to return to Puglia to find a piece of itself.
Because the tourism of the roots is not only an area: it is a bridge. It’s a hug. It is proof that distances are measured in kilometers, but belonging… that is not.
L’articolo When roots become travel: at BTM 2026 in Bari we talk about Hoboken proviene da IlNewyorkese.
