The government will to its utmost make Rome the site of the Expo 2030 world trade fair and add it to Italy's list of major upcoming international events which will boost tourism, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
"Right now we have the Expo 2030 commission here to assess Rome's candidacy," said Tajani.
The four Bureau International des Expositions inspectors who make up the commission - from Kazakhistan, Angola, Peru and Sweden - are in Rome for five days through Saturday, accompanied by the BIE's chief.
"We are determined to win. The government will do everything in its power to make Rome the site of Expo," Tajani said.
Tajani was speaking at an event to unveil a promotional campaign organised by Italy's tourism ministry and tourism agency and the prime minister's office.
"The government believes that tourism can be an extraordinary resource for the growth of employment and the economy, there is a positive climate we must seize the opportunities on offer," Tajani underlined.
Tourism "is a way of doing foreign policy", Tajani argued.
The upcoming Jubilee, the world food security summit being organised by the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the Giro d'Italia and Rider Cup events are all "great opportunities that we must not miss," Tajani underlined.
Besides Italy, three other countries have entered the race to hold World Expo 2030: the Republic of Korea (Busan), Ukraine (Odesa) and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), according to the BIE.
