The Grotte Board of Directors presents its assessment of its work at the end of its mandate.
Castellana Grotte, January 10, 2016 – Three years have already passed since the Board of Directors chaired by Domi Ciliberti took office at Grotte di Castellana Srl, the company owned by the Municipality of Castellana Grotte, with its sole shareholder being the Municipality. Three years of new strategies and resulting changes have brought considerable satisfaction in terms of visitor growth, culminating in an unprecedented record in the history of the company, founded in 1999, with 275.496 tickets sold. This represents a 25% increase in attendance compared to 2012 and over €3.1 million in revenue: the highest recorded since 1999.
New strategies for a brand to be repositioned.
The underlying idea was to implement a strategy that would reposition the Grotte di Castellana brand at a certain level, a new strategy that focused on both the short and long term. This took shape through co-marketing with tourist and cultural organizations in both the Apulian region and The Possible Book, Carnival of Putignano, Borgo Egnazia, Grotta Palazzese, Zoo Safari, Miragica, than the national one with Alitalia e Ikea; the close connection with Alberobello, Polignano a Mare and all the other municipalities of the Itria Valley; the synergy with Pugliapromozione and CESVIR; the creation of two recreational-cultural containers such as Christmas in the Caves, a winter wonder, arrived at its third edition, and Grotteland, a summer wonder managed to attract over 70 thousand visitors in ten days last August. Two These events have exponentially increased the visibility of the Caves thanks to major concerts (Paoli, Ron, Nada, Finardi, Baglioni, Cristicchi, and Bollani, to name a few) and many other events designed for all ages. Another major event is Episodi, which has also attracted interest beyond Italy's borders thanks to names such as Vinicio Capossela, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, Umberto Galimberti, Massimo Cacciari, and Stefano Benni. Finally, Hell in the Cave, the unique permanent aerial show, has succeeded with each performance in enhancing the aura of fascination and mystery felt in the depths of the Earth. In short, the Castellana Caves have transformed in just over thirty-six months into a haven of unique emotions, successfully breaking down some recurring stereotypes, such as the limitation many had of the classic school tour or the once-in-a-lifetime descent. Today, the Castellana Caves are a place to discover and rediscover, a part of the world capable of arousing ever-changing sensations, every day of the year.
Alongside the strategy of promoting the site through major events, the Board of Directors has carefully selected and participated in the world's most important tourism trade fairs. London, Milan, Kiev, Moscow, and Berlin are just a few of the destinations visited by the company's staff to support and publicize the Castellana underground site. This strategy is complemented by new media strategies, namely social media: the official page has grown by 10,000 followers, hundreds of followers on Twitter and Instagram, and regular promotional campaigns have reached peaks of over 300,000 users worldwide (in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico). The new website, another digital tool the company has developed, not only provides information about the tourist site in four languages but also streamlines ticket purchasing procedures. In just two years of operation, it has generated traffic of over 620,000 sessions from 453,000 users, for a total of 2.5 million page views, covering all of Europe and numerous countries around the world, particularly South America. On Trip Advisor, there are over 1.800 reviews, 95% of which describe the Castellana Caves as "excellent" or "very good." Also noteworthy is the growing interest in the national and international press, with publications in Italian and foreign tourism magazines and the ever-increasing presence of television crews from every continent. Among these is the Italian national network Rai3, which in its program Ulysses, the pleasure of discovery, hosted by paleontologist Alberto Angela, dedicated over fifteen minutes of prime time to the Castellana Caves. And finally, the caves have returned to being a film set, just as they did in the 50s and 60s, for TV series and films.
Not only promotion but also investments to protect the karst site and all its employees.
The company's investment has not been solely external. Significant resources have been allocated to a series of extraordinary interventions to maintain, protect, and conserve the karst site and ensure the safety of cave personnel. A new ventilation system, the cleaning of the White Grotto and its lampenflora, an innovative monitoring system for analyzing air quality distributed along the entire route, automated restrooms; a new parking lot; recent street furniture in the ticket office area; cleaning and maintenance of the pine forest; safety equipment (vests, helmets, and shoes) to ensure worker safety; and the AGTI course for training Italian tour guides are just some of the projects planned and implemented over the past three years. Last but not least, 30% of the proceeds from ticket sales for the four major Christmas concerts in the caves will be donated to future maintenance projects.
Castellana Caves: a driving force for the entire region, an example of best practice.
At a time when the severe economic crisis is affecting even Italy's leading sectors, such as tourism, the Castellana Caves are experiencing a peak in visitor numbers, with revenues exceeding all expectations. This is a company from which the municipality of Castellana Grotte can draw far beyond its usual annual revenues, translating all this into benefits that trickle down to its citizens. It seems like a dream, but it's a reality. A reality made of numbers written down in black and white.
Press Office Grotte di Castellana Srl
Serena Greco Mobile. +39 348 7649373
Social Media Marketing Consultant
Marica Buquicchio Mobile. +39 334 7649177
