Italy welcomes more connections for Canadians with Turkish Airlines

Representatives from The Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) were recently joined in Toronto by local partners Connect2Italy and Mancini Worldwide, to demonstrate the ease of connectivity to various destinations in Italy via Turkish Airlines.

According to Luca Zelioli, Italian consul general in Toronto, tourism to Italy accounts for 14 per cent of the country’s GDP. “It’s been a year of exceptional results, with a substantial increase of foreign visitors from North America,” Zelioli said. 

“Figures for the winter months of 2024 indicate that we are likely not only to match, but to exceed the record number of Canadian visitors to Italy in 2019, which saw 1.2 million Canadians travel to Italy,” added Salvatore Basile, country manager for Canada, ENIT. 

Despite the rise in visitors, Zelioli said that a particular set of challenges still hinder growth, including limited connections to support direct flights to Italy. Recognizing this limitation, ENIT is working closely with Turkish Airlines to promote more connectivity for Canadians to Italy utilizing the carrier’s impressive global network and fleet.

More connections for Canadians

With the first-ever Turkish Airlines flight from Rome to Ankara in 1959, Turkish Airlines now flies to 346 destinations in 130 countries, with a fleet of 452 aircraft. Its presence in Italy encompasses nine cities with 136 weekly flights, including six weekly flights from Toronto and three weekly flights from Montreal and Vancouver.

“We welcome the opportunity for Canadians to have more choices and options when travelling to Europe and we believe that Turkish Airlines, with its numerous routes to Italy, will offer immense benefits to consumers who are ready to take advantage of flexible connections and a great service,” Basile said. 

This year, Italy is gearing up for a series of events, including the 2026 Winter Olympics and Jubilee 2025. The destination is also promoting “roots tourism” which sees Canadians with Italian heritage making the trip to Italy to connect with their ancestral home.

For more information, or to plan your trip to Italy, click here.

For additional information on Turkish Airlines and its offerings, click here.