Summer 2021 is positive for mountain tourism, but we are not yet at pre-Covid levels despite vaccines and Green Passes. And above all, what is worrying is the upcoming winter season, "during which hotels like ours, in general, achieve at least 70% of the turnover", Marco Bartolo Virruso, director of theAlpen Suite Hotel in Madonna di Campiglio, 28 suites in the most chic place in the Trentino Dolomites, which before the pandemic hosted customers – usually wealthy – from all over the world every year, and who now have to deal with a totally changed paradigm. “Summer – explains Virruso – is in itself a less satisfying season because it lasts less, three months against five in winter, and because the clientele is almost exclusively Italian and generally spends less”.
Director, from your point of view is the summer of 2021 going better than that of 2020?
“Yes, also because last year's one started late, only in July. However, this year we won't return to the levels of 2019, because the beginning of the summer didn't go very well. On the other hand, in August we are recording 90% of rooms occupied, as before the pandemic. We'll see what happens in September, but in any case, this year as well we are very low in terms of turnover, not having been able to count on the winter season, which is longer and during which tourists spend more. Summer lasts less also because we are linked to the opening of the lifts, which open at the end of June and close before the end of September”.
Why do tourists spend more in winter?
“One of the reasons is that there are more foreigners, and foreigners are usually used to spending a bit more on extras, for example. During the winter season at least 40% of tourists arrive from abroad, in particular from the United Kingdom, Russia and other former Soviet countries, Israel, a little less from the USA since the pandemic hit. In the summer before Covid, foreigners were 20%, now at most 5-10%. Restrictions on international travel obviously also affect the origin and type of guests".
In addition to attendance, is the crisis also felt in the average expenditure of guests, whether they are Italian or foreign?
"Yes, I would tell you that the average expenditure is registering 20-30% less than usual, and this can already be seen when booking: the bed&breakfast formula, i.e. bed and breakfast, is increasingly preferred over the others, testifying probably due to a lower economic availability. But the positive fact is that we are starting to see people again, for August we had many stays booked in advance, which shows that people are less afraid, they are rediscovering the desire and the possibility of organizing trips".
As far as Covid is concerned, how did you organize yourself to secure your facility?
“Personally, I attended a refresher course for Covid managers organized by the Autonomous Province of Trento, which instructed me on all the procedures to follow in the event of contagion. Fortunately, at the moment we have not had any cases of contagion in the hotel, and we strictly respect all the rules on distances, masks and so on. We only ask for the Green Pass to access the spa, as expected. We are also offering our customers the possibility of insuring themselves against the consequences of a possible contagion through the Care4uHoliday service, managed by a third-party company recognized by Federalberghi Trentino".
How does it work?
“The policy fully covers in the event of infection of the participants and also of their families, both in the event of cancellation or forced interruption of the holiday, as regards medical expenses and the reimbursement of unused services, such as for example the ski pass and the ski rental, in winter”.
How did guests respond?
"Some have joined, especially among foreigners."
In recent weeks there has often been written about the unprecedented difficulties of finding personnel in the tourism sector. Are you aware of it?
“Absolutely yes, such a thing had never happened before. We encountered many difficulties in finding personnel in all departments”.
What did you think about the reasons?
“Certainly the fact that the pandemic has caused many work stoppages has had an impact, with the state guaranteeing the incomes of many workers. Then there is also the fear factor: many people prefer to stay at home rather than work in the tourism sector, where you are in close contact with other people”.
Have you been forced to increase the salaries offered, as someone suggested?
“We had to increase the budget to look for people, yes, because many didn't show up, but the salaries remained the same. We have a line and we keep it”.
All in all, the summer is going well, but what do you expect from next winter, after a season and a half of closure of the ski resorts?
“The next winter season will be absolutely decisive. We hope to be able to save it, focusing on the Green Pass and why not on last minute bookings. It won't be a full winter anyway, but the important thing is that we can at least stay open. If there were to be other closures, it would really be a very hard blow for the entire Dolomite tourist system".
Among other things, after skipping a winter in which it snowed a lot, like it hadn't done for decades. This will have increased the regrets…
“Unfortunately yes, last season would have been a top season, perhaps the best ever”.
