GENOVA (ITALPRESS) – The United States continues to represent one of the reference destinations for Italian quality tourism. In 2024 more than 1.1 million Italians visited the U.S.A., according to the data of the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). From January to August 2025 the arrivals reached 812.987 units, an increase of 7.4% on the same period of the previous year. A fact that confirms Italy among the most dynamic countries for the American incoming: in 2024, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration, the flow of Italian travelers exceeded 3% of 2019 levels, making Italy one of the few major emissors to have exceeded the pre-pandemic volumes. To support this growth and prepare travel agencies for new opportunities related to the events of 2026 – already called “the Year of Tourism Gold” for the United States – Going organizes in Genoa, on board GNV The Supreme, a two-day training and networking: Going Square Academy US.
The initiative brings together over 80 travel agencies, 15 international partners from the U.S. tourist industry and a representative of the industry press, with the aim of offering training content and business ideas on a destination that has decided to focus on international tourism as the first development leverage of the Export. “The interest of Italians in the United States has returned to grow structurally, thanks to an ever more diversified offer, air accessibility and a perception of experiential and cultural journey. With Going Square Academy U.S. we want to provide agents with tools and updates to intercept this value question”, says Maurizio Casabianca, chief commercial & operations officer of Going.
The 2026 will be a symbolic year for American tourism, marked by three world famous events: America250, the 25th anniversary celebration program for the Declaration of Independence, with events spread from Boston to Philadelphia and New York to Washington D.C.; FIFA World Cup 2026, which will see the United States host 11 cities venue and the final of July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium; Centenary of Route 66, the iconic American road that crosses eight states from Chicago to California, symbol of the journey on the road and the American myth. The United States is the first long haul destination of Going, with tailor-made itineraries ranging from large urban circuits to thematic travels, Caribbean extensions, Jamaica and Aruba, in combination with MSC cruises that base seven ships in the four US homeports of Miami, Port Canaveral, New York and Galveston (Texas). The workshop Going Square Academy US is an opportunity to get into the details of the travel proposals of the MSC Cruises tour operator portfolio, one on all “Route 66 – The Mother Road”.
“The Route 66 embodies in the collective imagination the journey on the road par excellence. Cross the heart of America’s most true, where between iconic motels and memorabilia, away from the big cities are also touched by some national parks, which remain among the main motivations of choice of destination – explains Ivana Di Stasio, product development manager Usa, Canada, Mexico Going –. Moreover, in the lands of Native Americans, Santa Fe and New Mexico, it is still possible to perceive a fascinating cultural syncretism through forms of art that tell their integration in the history of the country. This trip is, in a way, a compendium of the United States: how we imagine them and how we want to know them. The interest in the Centenary is already manifesting itself in the requests we receive: after a period of relative quiet, the anniversary and the activity of formation that we are carrying out together with the agency of promotion are rekindling the attention, as evidenced by the meeting today in Genoa”.
And here is a sixteen-day tour for over 3,800 kilometers to relive a century of history, dreams and asphalt. It starts between the skyscrapers and the blues of Chicago, continues towards St. Louis with the iconic Gateway Arch and the limestone caves of Meramec Caverns, then touches Springfield, where Route 66 was baptized. From Oklahoma, cowboy heart, you enter Texas with Amarillo and Cadillac Ranch, pop installation that embodies the golden age of the American car. In New Mexico we discover the Adobe architectures of Santa Fe and the multicultural atmosphere of Albuquerque. In Arizona you cross the Pietrified Forest and Painted Desert before reaching the Grand Canyon, a natural monument symbol of the West. A detour leads to Las Vegas, a city of entertainment, before returning to Route 66 for the last stretch to the pier of Santa Monica, where “The end of the trail” – so says the sign – meets the ocean. Hotel facilities and lodges help set the myth of adventure and freedom that the Road embodies, as read in the novel by John Steinbeck.
– photo press office Going –
(ITALPRESS).
