The Italian Minister for Tourism, Ms. Michela Vittoria Brambilla, recently held discussions in Düsseldorf with representatives of the Germany tourism sector including RDA CEO, Dieter Gauf, who clearly highlighted the fact that many Italian towns and cities were impairing coach and group tourism with their limited access policies and their exorbitant parking and entrance charges for holiday coaches. Many coach holiday operators felt let down by Italian cities and communes as a result. On a positive note, Dieter Gauf commended the positive efforts of and RDA co-operation agreement with the Italian city of Arezzo, whose goal it was to promote and develop coach tourism to Arezzo. Minister Brambilla stated that she was well aware of these problems and that measures were in force to tackle these. She had established a working committee consisting of communal and tourism federation interests to monitor and improve the situation locally. Dieter Gauf added that Italy was a leading coach tourism destination – for German companies in particular – and that coach holiday operators remained important business partners for Italian toursim, especially when it came to a comprehensive opening-up and development of visitor attractions, tourism regions and special events.