On the one hand, the brilliant performances recorded in the summer period are now the rebound (+ 51% on 2020) of online sales of stays and travels. But also the alarm cry of organized tourism, which has been inactive for twenty months. These are the opposing faces of yesterday at Ttg in Rimini, the marketplace dedicated to tourism.
The online sale of tourism products returns to grow and reaches 10.8 billion in turnover (+ 51%) but remains far from the 16.3 of the pre-pandemic era. In detail, transport reaches 8.3 billion, with a -55% on 2019, of which 5.1 made online which holds a market share of 62%. Hospitality stands at 9.1 billion against 10.3 in 2019 (-11%) and a jump of 66% on 2020. Here, online increases in double digits (+ 47%) and returns to 5 billion of revenues thanks to an acceleration of direct transactions, those that arrive from customers to hotel sites. The online sale of non-hotel hospitality, that of short-term rentals and bed & breakfasts, is also up sharply, which is worth approximately 3.2 billion compared to 1.9 billion for traditional hotels. These are the estimates of the Digital Innovation in Tourism Observatory of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano presented by Filippo Renga and Eleonora Lorenzini, heads of the Observatory who also analyzed the sales of tour operators and cruise lines. Organized tourism data remains dramatic starting from the 66% gap compared to 2019. For travel agencies, which have reduced their staff by a fifth, online revenues mark -72%. As for the restart, we rely on a strategic way: to raise the quality of the offer also thanks to the resources of the NRP. «It is essential to work to increase the overall quality and the added value generated by the tourism industry – underline the two directors of the Observatory -. Furthermore, it is necessary to move the Italian tourist offer towards increasingly premium segments ».
The Polimi data highlight the situation of organized tourism which in 2019 had revenues of 13.3 billion and at the end of 2021 perhaps it will reach 2.5 billion. Yesterday afternoon yet another alarm and a symbolic gesture. The leaders of the associations in the sector, after 20 months with zero activity, took the stage wearing T-shirts with big letters that form the word “Subito” or immediately support, immediately certainty of layoffs and immediately reopening of all destinations to get back to work and keep yourself alone. Gianni Rebecchi (Assoviaggi) with the S asks for support because “the sector needs at least another 500 million in addition to social safety nets at least until June 2022”. The Fiavet president Ivana Jelinic with the U wants urgency «because we have clashed with a complex bureaucracy and all the aid received has often not been timely. There is a lack of information and certain dates ». The word passes to Enrica Montanucci, president Maavi, with the B of battle: «It is an oxymoron to approach battle with tourism, synonymous with lightness, something that should never happen. But the battle is the only way, we are used to not raising our voices, and we are united in making ourselves heard. We want concrete answers on dates and resources ». The I of internationalization to Domenico Pellegrino (Aidit): «We miss our product which is the world while we are forced to work only in Italy. There is a split between incoming and outgoing, the latter seen more negatively, because it is synonymous with the export of currency ». Franco Gattinoni President of Fto and of the Gattinoni Group with the T «like all tourism, perhaps our work is not clear, let’s talk about organized tourism, the first sector in the world for employees. In Italy it employs 80 thousand people and invoiced 13.5 billion euros in 2019, today it reaches 2. Now our priority is to work. Europe is traveling and we want to travel too ». Pier Ezhaya (Astoi) «Or how organized: the value of the supply chain and the value of assisting customers. Tourism is unique, there is no difference between incoming and outgoing, because it is done by Italian companies that pay taxes in this country ».