Compagnia Italiana Turismo
Encyclopedia
CIT, the Compagnia Italiana Turismo, was an Italian travel agency
and tourism
promotion quango
, privatized in 1996.
It was established by royal charter
in 1927 as the Fascist
tourist promotion agency, in contrast to the Liberal
ENIT
and the bourgeois Touring Club Italiano
. Its first president was Ezio Maria Gray, an enthusiastic Fascist and corporatist
.
Its goal was to promote Italy as an international tourist destination and to support Italian foreign tourism. To do this, it created a network of travel agencies
in Italy and world-wide. Its founding members were the Ferrovie dello Stato
, the Banco di Sicilia, the Banco di Napoli, and ENIT
(the Italian national tourist board).
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
promotion quango
Quango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
, privatized in 1996.
It was established by royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1927 as the Fascist
National Fascist Party
The National Fascist Party was an Italian political party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of fascism...
tourist promotion agency, in contrast to the Liberal
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
ENIT
ENIT
ENIT—Agenzia nazionale del turismo, known in English as The Italian Government Tourist Board, formerly the Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo is the Italian national tourism board....
and the bourgeois Touring Club Italiano
Touring Club Italiano
The Touring Club Italiano is the major Italian national tourist organization.The Touring Club Ciclistico Italiano was founded on November 8, 1894 by a group of bicyclists to promote the values of cycling and travel; its founding president was Luigi Vittorio Bertarelli. It published its first...
. Its first president was Ezio Maria Gray, an enthusiastic Fascist and corporatist
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
.
Its goal was to promote Italy as an international tourist destination and to support Italian foreign tourism. To do this, it created a network of travel agencies
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
in Italy and world-wide. Its founding members were the Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
, the Banco di Sicilia, the Banco di Napoli, and ENIT
ENIT
ENIT—Agenzia nazionale del turismo, known in English as The Italian Government Tourist Board, formerly the Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo is the Italian national tourism board....
(the Italian national tourist board).