Ten requests, ten priorities to be brought to the attention of the parties. So Confindustria Alberghi, about ten days before the elections, calls for a package of measures to secure the hospitality sector which in recent weeks has been enduring a whole series of increases, including energy and inflation, which are going to erode margins and competitiveness compared to other Mediterranean destinations. In fact, the Belpaese in Europe is a leader in hotel facilities with over 32 thousand hotels and about 1.1 million rooms that are owned by over 22 thousand companies with a turnover of more than 21.1 billion euros. Directly employed are over 220 thousand, to which must be added those of the related industries. Finally, the hospitality industry for Italy is worth 13% of GDP with growth prospects. As long as you are able to overcome the perfect storm that is hitting the sector. «We felt it necessary to urge the parties because the sector has gone off the radar of priorities while it is important to bring our issues back to the center of the debate. We come out of a crisis that has exhausted the companies but, the problems are still many, first of all the expensive energy for which we ask for more attention from the Government. Also in the DL Aid the planned interventions are insufficient and need to be strengthened and adapted to the real needs of companies – explains Maria Carmela Colaiacovo, president of Confindustria Alberghi -. The hotel sector is central and contributes significantly to the tourism economy which in Italy is worth 13% of GDP. Without strong and immediate interventions, we risk losing ground compared to competitors such as Spain and France who have managed the energy crisis also by protecting companies. Thanks to the aid, our companies would have the opportunity to face this difficult moment by helping to support the related industries as well. The hotels, in fact, through their typical style made up of furnishings, catering and particular concepts contribute to spreading the beauty of our territory and act as a flywheel effect for made in Italy ».
Among the priorities contained in the memorandum is the sterilization of the increases in energy costs that have become unbearable for companies tried by two years of deep crisis. Substantial aid is needed to avoid the blocking of activities. Connected is the issue of energy requalification and transition by launching interventions with administrative simplifications and incentives. Hoteliers could also count on funds from the PNRR but on this point Confindustria Alberghi specifies that the PNRR dedicates just over 1% of total resources to the sector while the sector generates 13% of GDP. We need an increase in appropriations. On the tax front, the remodeling of the IMU and the Tari is requested. The levels of the Imu reach levels that are no longer acceptable: a substantial remodeling of the tax is needed, considering that the property used as a hotel is an instrumental good. For Tari, it is asked that it be commensurate with the volumes of waste actually produced and not with the mere surface of the environments. The tourism department must be maintained with its own spending capacity and an autonomous budget, the only way to guarantee medium-long term policies to the sector. In terms of human resources, the sector lost employees, professionalism and attractiveness during the Covid emergency. The school-business dialogue has been strengthened with a more dynamic and targeted training. At the same time, a reduction in the tax wedge is being asked to reduce the cost of labor and increase the purchasing power of employees. Finally, there is the issue of bathing concessions functional to the hotel, to be protected with specific safeguards and enhancements when the concession is functional to the hotel investment. On the online platforms, a reorganization is needed to guarantee the lawfulness and transparency of the offer.