August in chiaroscuro for Italian hoteliers despite the bright sun, the blue dot beaches and the cultural attractions that Italy is able to guarantee to tourists.
According to Federalberghi's July forecasts, in the symbolic month of the summer holidays there should have been 18 million tourists present at hotels and other Italian accommodation facilities, for a total of around 79 million overnight stays (41% referring to foreign tourists and 59 % to the Italians).
However, August seems to have disappointed expectations. In the key week, that of August XNUMXth, the traditional seaside tourism destinations, from Veneto to Sardinia via Lazio, recorded declines compared to last year. Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi, he told al Corriere della Sera:
“Above all the Germans and English were missing. Thanks to the economic crisis, for example in Germany, which has led to choosing low-cost destinations, Tunisia, Egypt or Turkey (today considered even less at risk from the point of view of security, after the peak of terrorist attacks) , which have lower taxation systems than ours, lower rates even if often at the expense of quality”.
Difficult not to identify in the braking of the German locomotive and fears about Brexit – scheduled for October 31, with or without agreement (the latter the now more probable hypothesis – the first causes of the absence from Italy of a large number of foreign tourists who traditionally crowd the Italian coasts in the month of August and who instead this year have preferred to spend less by going abroad the wild ride of Spain with the Canary Islands, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia and the Region of Valencia all in the top 10 of the main European tourist destinations. The result, according to the data collected by Corsera, is a -30% of receipts for the seaside resorts of Lazio and Tuscany, a -5% of presences in Sardinia and a turnover down by 5% in Veneto. The exceptions are Liguria and Campania, which instead report a real attendance record.
However, the "fault" is not only foreign absences. In fact, if luxury tourism is booming in our country, with Capri and the Amalfi coast driving the sector, it is the middle class that determines the decline in August. The so-called better tourist, explains Bocca, "renounces leaving" or when he does, spends less due to the economic crisis and increasingly pressing uncertainties about the future. The overall average expenditure of Italians between travel, accommodation and restaurants has in fact fallen by 9,5% decreasing from 24,1 to 21,8 billion euros.
The last word has not yet been said. In the last 10 days of August there could be a backlash, even if the trend now appears clear. How to react? The number one of Federalberghi, from the pages of Courier, gives some suggestions:
“Focus on quality. Italy is unique in its ability to offer sea, mountains, spa resorts and cities of art together. But we must realize that those who travel are increasingly young tourists. Without demonizing the luxury sector. The important thing is to give an offer that satisfies everyone”.
