The summer 2020 photograph is not reassuring. This year the summer season is struggling to take off in all regions, strongly compromised by the epidemiological crisis. Among the most penalized there is Sardinia, the land of the Four Moors, which has become the favorite destination for foreigners in recent years. Above all in the North there was a boom of Germans and Swiss, but also of Russians and Americans. This year, however, Covid has not only canceled a large part of the summer, but also foreign tourists who were eager to be able to spend a few days of vacation on the island.
Just look at the first half of July to understand that this season will be dedicated mostly to Italians (75% of which 22% Sardinians), even if there is a very low percentage compared to 2019 (about 70% less). Surely the North suffers the most, due to the absence of foreign tourists who love the wind and action water sports: windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. Furthermore, the closed clubs, the ban on dancing and the numerous canceled events dampen the enthusiasm for those who want to travel a bit.
According to data released by Federalberghi-Confcommercio Province of Sassari, the worst result is June: with 95% less turnoverpartially affected by the confusion initially generated on the rules of access to the island. For August, there is some more hope, being the month of vacation for the Italians, but in the best case scenario, 35% of monthly productions can be saved.
Despite everything, tourists are starting to arrive and fill the most beautiful beaches on the island, especially during the weekend, where social distancing is often "apparently" respected, as if the pandemic were a distant memory. Even if the tourist flow is slowly starting to move, the numbers found are not remotely close to those of past years.
Complicit in this situation are: the fear of the virus, the economic difficulties but also those who prefer short journeys, so as to limit the conditions of assembly. In addition, Italian travelers also have to deal with the numerous cancellations of the last few weeks by the airlines, both domestic and foreign, apparently for no reason.
So much so that the president of Confindustria central north Sardinia, Joseph Ruggiu, to write a letter of protest to the ENAC manager for the island, Daniela Candido, regarding the situation that is putting travelers and accommodation companies on the island even more in difficulty.
According to data, passengers transiting through Cagliari airport in July decreased by more than 60%. Worse still for Olbia, which has seen a significant drop in passengers, passing through 380 thousand of 2019 to just 130 thousand.
Among the many difficulties in penalizing tourism and the Sardinian economy there is also the poor communication by the institutions and, at the same time, theno promotions to facilitate the restart.
Even if late, in support of the companies of the Sardinian tourist chain, the Sardinia Region has made 15 million euros available to encourage the recruitment of young people under the age of 35, the unemployed and women over the age of 35, with fixed-term and full-time contracts with a minimum duration of one month up to a maximum of 11 months. This funding will be disbursed through a tender to restart a sector strongly affected by the health and economic crisis.
The goal of the Tourism Department is now that to focus on the months of September and October to make up for what was lost in the first part of the season. Meanwhile, tour operators are focusing more on planning the 2021 tourist season than saving the current one, considering the year 2020 now lost. A bitter pill for the island that thrives on tourism.
Sardinia, however, remains optimistic hoping that the season is not completely lost, even if the road is still all uphill.
