ROME — Gianmarco Mazzi, Italy’s newly appointed tourism minister, spoke to  Italy Now on tourism, UNESCO recognition for Italian cuisine, and the substantial benefits the sector generates for the national economy. Sworn in on April 3 as successor to outgoing Daniela Santanche, the former culture undersecretary and entertainment producer from Verona came with numbers. Tourism’s direct share of GDP stands at 13 percent, he said, but factor in the full supply chain and the real figure rises to 26 or 27 percent, or more than a quarter of the entire Italian economy. He sees technology as the answer to overtourism and village depopulation alike, arguing that a well-informed, digitally savvy traveller can be nudged toward the fifty extraordinary places that exist within fifty kilometres of any famous city. Italy’s south, he told Italy Now, remains the great untapped opportunity.