Great success for the 20th edition of the Christmas of Wonders in San Marino

 

San Marino, 13 January 2023 – Great success for the 20th edition of the Christmas of Wonders – An Incredible Journey, which ended last weekend.

There is numerous data which corroborates the appreciation of the public and confirms the consolidation of the Christmas of Wonders as a flagship product of the San Marino tourist offer. The numbers of the estimates relating to visitors arriving in the area by road are excellent: 158,966 people registered in the Titano car parks during the period of the event, 26 November 2022 - 8 January 2023, with an increase of 35% compared to last year. Considerable increase for overnight stays in accommodation facilities, with a peak of overnight stays in the New Year period with a positive sign + 52% compared to 2021, reaching numbers higher than those of 2019. The data received from the cable car service is also more than satisfactory, which for the 24 event days he recorded 52,386 rides against 32,128 rides in 2021 (+63%).

The Christmas of Wonders edition that has just ended, the organization of which has been entrusted by the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Board to Alberto Di Rosa's NexTime Eventi, with the artistic direction of Simone Ranieri, has permeated San Marino’s Old Town with a fairytale atmosphere, guiding the many visitors to experience an incredible journey in a dream location.
The iconic Piazza della Libertà hosted the Polar Express which, with its eccentric conductor, welcomed the many visitors, inviting them to get on the glittering train animated by Christmas music, sounds and lights and surprising immersive shows. Remarkable influx of public also for visits on the blue-white train: over 1,200 passengers traveled the 1,500 meters on the ancient route of the historic San Marino - Rimini train in 12 days. A must for the 2022/23 edition was the ice skating rink in the evocative setting of Cava dei Balestrieri, where a real "Polar Park" enchanted visitors with magical artificial snowfalls.
At Campo Bruno Reffi, adults and children had fun making the perfect game together with Santa Claus and his elves inside the wonderful "Toy Factory": a covered and heated space with creative workshops, face painting and many other fun activities. Great success and fun for the whole family, for the four appointments of the exclusive show, conceived by Simone Ranieri: the Family show "The Toy Factory" a story with a Disney flavor and at the same time with gothic, dreamy nuances and with hints of vision by Tim Burton. The show transported viewers into a fun Christmas atmosphere enlivened by dancers, acrobats, magicians and special effects.

The theme of toys was also the protagonist of the San Marino New Year's Eve in Piazzale Lo Stradone with the "Night of Toys" party: the Band led by the Little Muffin, the music of Mr. Lori G's DJ set, and the breathtaking performances of the “SHOWZER” artists welcomed the numerous visitors who chose San Marino to spend the last night of the year.

These are the complete numbers of the event: 104 "Polar Express" Shows with a unique production for the Republic of San Marino, 104 Snow shows at the Polar Park, 4 exclusive productions for the 4 different mini snow shows for the Republic of San Marino, 9 Days of Parades, 93 Artists engaged for the 9 days of shows and parades, 360 sqm of Ice Rink, over 250 sqm of indoor area for creative workshops and entertainment activities (“The Toy Factory”), 34 huts for Christmas markets, 15 agency staff resources for the campaign, management and general organization of the project, 10 resources in the reception and entertainment points, over 30 stand builders for the creation of the attractions.
The positive balance was generated by the constant online and offline communication activity which on online channels generated a total of 7,162,245 impressions and a coverage of 1,854,472 unique people reached.

To complete the entertainment offer, numerous sold-out musical events were put on the field, such as My Xmas Tour by Alexia, the classic New Year's concert by the Military Band and the third edition of "JBees in Orchestra", last 5 January.

The Minister of Tourism Federico Pedini Amati commented on the success of the event with these words: "We are satisfied with the results obtained in terms of flows, hotel attendance and appreciation of this edition of the Christmas of Wonders and this confirms that the choices made are strategically correct. The Christmas of Wonders is a key event in our tourist offer at a particular time of the year, when all cities offer Christmas initiatives. If so many people have chosen San Marino, it is because our Old Town is still considered unique and because the set-ups, illuminations and artistic proposals have no equal. I sincerely thank all the staff of the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Board and Next Time Eventi who made sure that everything was perfect. Let me mention the chosen theme, that of the train, on which we bet a few months ago declining it for our Christmas but which today, also thanks to the projects that the Ministry is carrying out and to the commitment of the Treno Bianco Azzurro Association, has become a central theme in the tourist proposal and in the planning".

Alberto Di Rosa of Next Time Eventi said: "We are very satisfied for having created an original, unique and exclusive project for the Republic of San Marino which has been greatly appreciated by the many visitors and residents. Our agency stands out precisely for creating targeted productions, with installations that are not only beautiful to look at but with strong interaction with the public.
A big thank you goes to Minister Federico Pedini Amati and to the Tourism Board in the person of the Director Annachiara Sica for the excellent teamwork.
I thank Melissa Nanni, General Account of the whole project and my travel companion as well as Artistic Director Simone Ranieri who was able to give a big upgrade to the whole program of shows with the Family Show "The Toy Factory" and the attraction in Piazza della Libertà in which for the first time an actor took part who made the Polar Express show magical and even more immersive."

The Christmas of Wonders was made possible thanks to an effective collaboration between the public and private sectors, between the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Board, on one hand, and the team of professionals led by Next Time Eventi, on the other.

The event was also realized thanks to the precious contribution of sponsors such as the well-known #BRAND jewelry brand as main sponsor; Banca di San Marino, San Marino Outlet Experience, Grafikart, Titan Coop and Illusion Group as sponsors of the event; Tim San Marino, Salusland by Pharma Titano and Energreen.sm as technical partners of the event.

The visual of the campaign was curated by NexTime Eventi with the collaboration of BBL Advertising by Alessandra Lanzani and MOAB for media planning, the "magic shot" for the campaign of "An incredible journey" is by Simone Maria Fiorani.

A dutiful thanks goes to all the institutions, operators and all those who made the event possible.