WHY IT RATES: Villas of Distinction is catering to the rise of tourism in Italy by providing additional villa options throughout the country. —Codie Liermann, Associate Editor In 2018, Italy welcomed 14.5 million U.S. visitors according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics. Villas of Distinction is also seeing an uptick in travel to Italy and announced today that it has recently added villas throughout the country to its already robust portfolio.“Our bookings to Italy continue to increase year-after-year,” said Willie Fernandez, general manager and vice president for Villas of Distinction. “With Italy’s surge in popularity, we want to ensure that we are offering a wide array of villa options in some of the sought-after destinations.”According to the 2019 Italian Enogastronomic Tourism Report, tourists are interested in themed experiences including visits and tastings in wine cellars; breweries and mills; food and wine festivals; social eating; and cooking classes.Wellness and golf are also popular travel trends in Italy. The Global Wellness Institute estimates that wellness tourism grew into a $639 billion market in 2017, and that number continues to rise. With more than 250 golf clubs in Italy, it is a hot spot for those seeking a vacation centered on the game of golf.Visitors are looking for rejuvenating vacations, and local businesses are catering to travelers who’ve already seen the likes of Rome, Florence and Venice and want to escape the high-traffic tourist areas for a more authentic, relaxing experience of Italian life.“We pride ourselves in offering a full-service villa vacation planning experience,” said Steve Lassman, vice president of villa product and agency relations for Villas of Distinction. “In addition to booking the villa, every guest receives a personal concierge that fully-customizes the experience based on the guest’s vacation desires. From arranging cooking classes in the villa with a private chef and booking a private suite at Italy’s most popular horse race – Palio di Siena to booking golf tee times and spa services, our concierges go above and beyond in creating experiences so that our guests can truly immerse themselves in the destination.”Villas of Distinction’s Italy-based concierge team provides guests firsthand knowledge on the finest and most authentic Italian experiences – truly immersing them in Italy’s culture. In addition, many of Villas of Distinction’s Italy villas are staffed with premier Italian chefs who provide guests a taste of Italian cuisine.Here are the villas in Italy that have been added to the Villas of Distinction portfolio:Tuscany: Distinta, Cardinale, Rovea, Carista, HortusAmalfi Coast: Carmana, LitodoraSicily: Aieri, DelphinaVenice: Doge To learn more about a vacation to Italy and these newly added luxury villas offered through Villas of Distinction, visit VillasofDistinction.com or to book a villa vacation, call 1-800-289-0900.SOURCE: Villas of Distinction press release. Let's block ads! (Why?)