An endless chasm accompanies the fall of Italian organized tourism. A healthy company, which in 2019 had a turnover of 13.3 billion euros and grew by 4.3% compared to the previous year, and which in 2021 is preparing to close its balance sheet at 2.5 billion euros, over 80 % less than in 2019.
A fall accompanied by positive messages linked to the lively summer movement, which however do not concern organized tourism. The numbers, in this part of the sector, do not give room for easy optimism.
Decline in hotel attendance
The hotel sector in July this year recorded a 51% decline in attendance, which reaches 71% if you look at the international ones. And this is still the best data.
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Outgoing, that is tourism leaving the country, recorded a decline of 90% on 2019, MICE (the events branch of the sector) of 80% and business travel of 74%.
“Diversification is no longer enough to protect oneself – explains Franco Gattinoni, president of Fto, the Federation of organized tourism -, because the negative trend affects every segment and this prevents companies in the sector from compensating, as has already happened in the past, the losses of one branch with the highest earnings of another. Then there is a lack of Americans and Chinese, the top spenders who filled the luxury structures and who cannot be compensated by the German camper, who did not miss this summer ».
The brakes on organized tourism
In short, if individual tourism can restart more easily, organized tourism, which thrives on programming, is blocked. There are several reasons. No longer the fear of the virus, but the uncertainty of the ever-changing rules. “The lack of perspective – adds Gattinoni – prevents the planning of tourist seasons and makes us lose purchasing power compared to foreign competitors, who purchase services at more competitive prices thanks to advance planning”.
In addition to the already numerous critical issues, there are the Italian exit restrictions, which are more stringent than in other countries. «Health protection is a priority – explains Gabriele Burgio, president and CEO of the Alpitour Group – but the sector employs thousands of people, many of whom are on layoffs, and the measures must be efficient and fair. Today, Italian operators suffer a different and penalizing treatment compared to their European competitors. Why, for example, can’t they bring Italians to the Caribbean or outside Europe? The consequence of these rules is not fair: those who want to leave for these destinations bypass the rules and turn to foreign operators. Or it gives up, creating damage to Italian companies ».