Italian anger over the use of tuscany in french tourism rebrand

“IDENTITY THEFT IS A CRIME,” SAID THE PRESIDENT OF THE TUSCANY REGION AFTER COMMUNES IN TARN CALLED THEMSELVES LA TOSCANE OCCITANE Italian politicians are furious that an area in southern

France is calling itself _La Toscane Occitane_ in tourism campaigns. The tourism campaign, which covers Gaillac, Pays Cordais and Vaour communes in the department of Tarn, was launched last

year. It clearly worked, generating €87 million for the area. But it has irked the real Tuscany region in Italy, which says it confuses tourists. According to the Italian newspaper_ La

Repubblica_, Nicola Danti, an MEP from Tuscany, told the European Commission: “There is only one Tuscany and it is right for those who, cunningly, try to use this brand to promote their area

stop doing so immediately.” However, the tourism campaign in the French region of Occitane was co-funded by the European Union (EU). Mr Danti asked how the European Parliament can track

“similar actions in the rest of the world which harm our economy” and at the same time support “such campaigns within the very countries of the EU”. He called the “competition”, “dishonest”,

and “unacceptable given the potential to confuse tourists”, adding it is an “unwarranted exploitation of a recognised touristic brand”. The president of the Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani,

went a step further and said “identity theft is a crime” telling his fellow Italians that “we will make ourselves heard”. Mr Giani said, again according to La Repubblica, that “we will

evaluate what steps to take”. READ MORE: TARN: FRANCE’S ‘LITTLE TUSCANY’ IN DEMAND AMONG DOMESTIC HOLIDAYMAKERS ‘WE ARE READY’ Paul Salvador, chair of the _La Toscane Occitane _brand,

meanwhile said he nearly fell off his horse when he heard the “identity theft” claims. Mr Salvador initially found the claims ridiculous, according to the French newspaper, La Dépêche du

Midi, saying: “To this extent, everyone knows how much I love Italy and Tuscany in particular, I do not see why Rome is not asking Toulouse to change the name of_ la place du Capitole,_

perhaps even asking the US to find another name for its Congress [building, where the US House of Representatives sits]. After all, the Capitol was one of the seven hills of Rome”. Mr

Salvador noted the brand name _La Toscane Occitane_ was registered with France’s intellectual property office, the INPI, and that no one contested the brand name within the two-month

deadline. As such, the Italians seem to be complaining too late. “If the Italians want to take the affair to court, we are ready, we have the lawyers to defend our case,” Mr Salvador said.

However, he added that he would rather have a friendly reconciliation with Tuscany and maybe even carry out joint tourism campaigns. If anything, Mr Salvador is worried that Tarn’s tourism

campaign could be attacked by closer departments in France, as “Tarn has an aggressive tourism campaign, that is true. That could offend some people around us”. RELATED ARTICLES MONT BLANC

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