For this year, don't change, same beach, same sea... Piero Focaccia's song is dated 1963, but for the first time in almost sixty years it may no longer be current for millions of Italians: what will become of our holidays at the time of the coronavirus? To date, it's too early to even say whether we will do them or not, given that we are only slowly emerging from the stricter quarantine and that it will be difficult to return to full normality within 2-3 months. And while tourism operators have already resigned themselves to losing the season, the Italians who will be able to afford it are wondering: where will it be safer to go, if possible? Sea or mountain?
At the moment, with bowls completely stopped, the second hypothesis seems the best, for two reasons: the mountain offers wider open spaces, which is ideal for maintaining social distancing which will in all likelihood still be needed in July and August; the mountain has a great desire for redemption, after having lost the final part of the winter season, the one that traditionally promises the best. Tourism Alpine region, which only in winter represents 11% of the national sector (which in turn represents 13% of GDP with almost 60 billion in turnover) and employs 400 people, has seen a drop in turnover by 40% over last year. However, it has nothing to do with what the 2020 balance of all Italian hotel structures will be, expected according to CNA and Assoturismo estimates of a -73%, which Federalberghi even considers optimistic.
“In the period March-September – explains Alessandro Nucara, managing director of Federalberghi – hotels in Italy realize 80% of their annual turnover, which overall is 20 billion. If we consider that in March and April the drop will be 95%, that in the summer only part of Italian travelers will begin to be seen again, and that for various reasons there will be a lack of foreigners (usually 50%), the scenario could still be worse than hitherto estimated. But then, if we can, where will it be safer to go? The mountain looks ideal and Trentino Alto Adige, for example, is already ready to play its cards: organizations and tour operators are confident in the possibility of reopening around 1 July, restricting arrivals to accommodation facilities, even if the problem of the ski lifts would remain, already closed in winter to contain the contagion and usually open (and important) even in summer.
"Having them go with fewer people would not be convenient - a source from the Tourism Authority of the Autonomous Province of Trento explains to FIRSTonline -, at which point it would be better to keep them closed". After all, caution is a must, given that in the Dolomites a large part of the clientele comes from the highly infected Lombardy and Veneto: "In fact, this winter Canazei was a small outbreak: in proportion to its population, it had more infected by Covid- 19 of a city like Verona”. At the moment bookings are still standing still waiting to understand better what will become of our summer trips, but one thing seems certain: there will be no feared increase in prices. "Absolutely not, on the contrary, there will be balances in order to save what can be saved", confirmed by Province of Trento.
The increase in prices should also be excluded according to Federalberghi, which however does not see major differences between the sea and the mountains: “As I do every year, I will try to go both to the sea and to the mountains – says Nucara -. I see no contraindications for the sea because we expect a generally uncrowded season everywhere. I hope I'm wrong, but there are more than one elements that lead us to these assessments". Meanwhile, the total absence of foreign tourists, partly because they are stuck at home (they usually come from Germany and the USA, countries further behind in the lockdown), partly because they are perhaps wary of facing a perhaps long and expensive journey in a particularly affected like Italy, partly because the airlines are at a standstill and when they leave again they will not be at full capacity.
This gap of 50% dry will only be compensated to a small extent by the Italians who will inevitably choose domestic holidays. “Yes, but social distancing will mean that there will be fewer places available in hotels and on trains. Furthermore, many workers are burning up their holidays in these weeks of forced stop, and they will not have any in July and August. However, whoever has them may not have the money to spend as in the past, perhaps forced into the CIG or even left without a job. Anyone who has a commercial or industrial business can't wait to keep it open all summer to recover. We will find an impoverished country eager to go back to work and produce“, claims the general manager of Federalberghi. The sector will pay the bill, which between March and April is already burning 95% of its turnover and is only partially helped by government measures.
What is certain is that the holidays, if holidays will be, they will be "proximity" holidays and therefore certainly within the borders of Italy and possibly short-range. For this reason, a series of associations and tour operators have launched the #RipartiamoDallItalia campaign, inviting everyone to choose destinations in Italy and also asking the Government to set up an extraordinary fund to support the loss of income for tourism businesses and the creation of holiday vouchers , along the lines of shopping vouchers, to be used for the upcoming summer season. Among the signatories are ASTOI Confindustria Viaggi (which represents 90% of tour operating in Italy) and realities such as Alpitour, company of the Tamburi galaxy. “There is no holiday safer than another, the conditions in which you travel and the precautions count – comments Pier Ezhaya, Director of Tour Operating Group -. This summer we expect strong demand from Italy, so we are already working to offer customers safe travel and offers. But any other interpretation is premature”.
It is therefore difficult to say whether it will be sea or mountain, but the last two considerations must be made. The Italian mountains are no longer pristine and little frequented as in the past: for some time now, thanks to heavy investments to enhance the area even outside the ski season, high-altitude holidays are no longer a niche holiday. Partly to escape the heat of the cities, partly because the offers have multiplied, but the case involving the invasion of the Dolomites had already broken out last year: hundreds of lifts open like at Christmas, +34% of tourists, peaks of +40% for the gondola lifts that ascend from the valley bottoms in Alto Adige, Veneto and Trentino, cars allowed everywhere amid a thousand controversies, with traffic jams and crowds even at high altitudes . After all, expeditions to Everest have even been stopped due to the coronavirus…
Who knows, instead, you might find a little peace by the sea as a surprise. For example, OTA has thought about it Sardinia portal (a Booking-type platform but specialized on the island of nuraghi), which has not only provided discounted packages with the possibility of canceling at the last minute without penalty, but has also signed the "Sardegna Isola Sicura" protocol with all participating operators, for better manage arrivals. The project includes the adoption of new standards capable of reducing the probability of infections and to offer travelers the maximum possible safety: participating structures, but also airports and transport companies.
