Lake Maggiore, a place to visit and live like a real natural park: a place where it is possible to practice sport and at the same time to enjoy a unique landscape and discover the rich heritage of art and culture.
The Regione Lombardia and the Chamber of Commerce signed in Sesto Calende  an agreement protocol to develop the tourist promotion of the province aiming to the potentialities of the Verbano area. The agreement, with which the Regione makes available 300 thousand euros (out of a total of 1.2 millions which are allocating in Lombardy for the tourist development of the areas around the lake), was signed by the regional council member for the Economic development, Mauro Parolini and by the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Renato Scapolan and it was presented by the mayor of Sesto Calende, Marco Colombo and by Sabrina Guglielmetti of Promovarese.

Lake Maggiore #Doyoulake?
The signature of this project arrives after a way which was launched in the autumn 2013 with the agreement for the products clubs. There are six clubs that have created some packages linked to a model of “motivational” tourism. There are people who are attracted to our territory by the possibility of spending some days under the heading of their passions like cycling holidays, horse-riding or gliding but also the archaeological heritage or a food concept declined in a wellness logic. Meanwhile the Chamber of Commerce has also created a campaign under the heading of the claim #Doyoulake?, by playing on the assonance between the word “Like” (a concept much more important now, at the time of the social networks like Facebook) and the English word “Lake”. It is a promotion campaign proposed to the Expo 2015 visitors which earned a remarkable interest.

A “GREEN” AND ACTIVE TOURISM
“This project, that focus on an architectural,historical and environmental heritage of the whole area of the Lake Maggiore,” as Scapolan said, “it works on the green and active tourism that is also linked to the sport activities. A green and outdoor tourism. A tourism that is referred to a wide and miscellaneous target of users. We have the brand “Lake Maggiore”. We have environmental assets that mark a real natural park, that is also enriched with a cultural,archeological and artistic heritage that is absolutely relevant. We have a hospitality capacity that let us receive on our territory more than 581 thousands of people in the first semester of the year, and that is rising by 50 thousands units more than the last year”. These are numbers that can rise, according to the council member Parolini. “there are improving places in our territory ,as it concerns. The challenge is to succeed in facing the disintegration that often characterises the way to be in front of visitors and to succeed in communicating a unique message and in promoting a unique great project”.
“The lake Maggiore is fantastic and has great potentiality. And it does not have to envy any characteristic of other touristic destinations. We have to work to show them in the best way”, also said the vice-mayor Colombo.

FROM THE BICYCLE PATH TO SPORT COMMISSION
The assets on which the initiative is developed are three. The first is the improving of the four natural gates to access to the lake Maggiore: Luino, Laveno Mombello, Sesto Calende and Varese have been identified as the three main information and logistic points in the natural park, for their availability of streets, ferries and trains.The second asset is represented by the touristic and sportive potentiality for the outdoor stuff to practice any physical activity. The third is the consolidation of a series of events that can rise the presence and the average staying of visitors.

Thanks to the economical resources that have been made available by the region of Lombardy, there are now the right conditions to start a promotion activity that would improve tourist attraction on a pattern that values the natural elements that make the lake Maggiore a source of richness.