Happy 2017 with Matera 2019
Dear friends of Matera 2019, we have come to the closure of a very difficult year for all of us. Our old Europe has tackled very hard socio-economic and cultural issues. Also our town and region show contradictory data. The tourism sector is having an increasingly significant impact on our GDP that is certainly due to the very good collaborative job carried out for the nomination of Matera as the European Capital of Culture although it is not enough to qualify all the other development-related activities. However, too many young people still leave our region and only few of them decide to stay in Basilicata to contribute to its local development.
Much has yet to be done!
Matera 2019 is certainly an opportunity for growth thanks to the collaboration with regional and national bodies and institutions.
By the end of 2017 the staff of the Foundation will be completed; the projects described in the bidbook will be carried out and private partners will be involved in order to widely spread the reputation of our job at both national and European levels to make cultural activities one of the pillars of our contemporary society. We would like to thank everybody who will actively contribute, directly and indirectly to achieving this goal and we would like to extend my best wishes to all of us to succeed in this endeavor!
In particular we would like to wish all the best to our friends from Aarhus and Pafos – the European Capitals of Culture 2017 – who will start their most beautiful and happiest year in a few days!
