GARDONE RIVIERA (BRESCIA) – "Together we are stronger; connected we are more inclusive, resilient, innovative, and independent." These are the words recently used by the European Commissioner for the Single Market, Thierry Breton, to define the role of digitalization during the pandemic. A concept fully embraced by Mynet, a telecommunications operator widely present throughout northern Italy, laying 30,000 km of fiber optics each year, by investing in the digital infrastructure of the Garda tourist area.

After Peschiera, Lazise, Salò, Limone sul Garda, and Malcesine (where works began on October 12), the Mantuan company now aims to develop the fiber optic backbone already installed from Salò to Limone del Garda, i.e., the entire western shore of Lake Garda, where hotels and commercial businesses first, and private users later, will progressively be connected to fiber optics. This is a major project, confirming the strong commitment of the telecom operator to strengthen the digital infrastructure along the Garda ring, starting from its rich base of tourism and hospitality businesses.

“Smart Tourism now goes hand in hand with the Smart City concept,” explains Mynet’s General Manager, Giovanni Zorzoni. “Today, the presence of artistic and cultural points of interest is a necessary but no longer sufficient condition for tourism development; tourists’ needs have changed: they want much more than the information available on the web, they look for real-time resources, even interacting with points of interest. For this reason, a tourist hub like Garda cannot afford not to exploit fiber optics. The pandemic itself is teaching us that tourism has become an increasingly competitive market, favoring only destinations better managed digitally; and, as easily understandable, Smart Tourism is easier to implement in cities already working to become Smart Cities.”

Mynet’s intervention along the Western Garda shore makes digital infrastructure a priority for the entire area, elevating it as a key factor in the overall development strategy of the involved municipalities. “A high-performance connection is indispensable for hotels,” adds Mauro Maccarini, President of the Garda Riviera Hotels Consortium – CARG. “On the one hand, it is a service demanded by high-end and business clientele; on the other, it is essential for modern management of the hotel itself.”