«It’s time to book your vacation in Italy. We look forward to welcoming you, “said Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the G20 meeting on May 4, during which he presented the plan to restart tourism in Italy, with a paper green pass for those who are immunized, negative being tested or vaccinated. Losing another season, after last year’s hole of 53 billion euros, would be disastrous for a sector that alone, without considering the related activities, was worth 13% of GDP in 2019.
Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, also told the New York Times that, given the efficiency of the vaccination campaign in the United States, Europe will open up to North Americans by the summer. The news, although devoid of certain times and ways, was enthusiastically received by travelers and agencies, as evidenced by the 47% increase in searches for flights from the United States to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, as soon as the news was received. Even the European countries with a strong tourist connotation have reacted positively, only to deal with a much more complex reality, with the variety of individual situations between curfews still in progress and slow vaccinations, while there are countries such as Spain, Greece and Iceland. which already since last April have a plan defined for months to welcome tourists.
Loading…
“We have to catch up on the protocols”
For a non-European, but also for the operators who organize the trips, the picture is still confusing. Luca Finardi, vice president for Italy of the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel group, urgently asks for a defined reopening plan: “I believe that in this climate of uncertainty, Italy must organize itself as soon as possible, giving directives on its territory to communicate them clearly to the Anglo-Saxon countries and to those of the Middle East, where most of the population is now vaccinated ». And he continues: «This preventive action can save the summer and autumn seasons. American and Middle Eastern markets are the most important for many Italian destinations, the islands, coasts, lakes and mountains, and above all the cities of art, which do not enjoy proximity tourism in the summer ». The question of the hoteliers is simple, as Finardi summarizes: «We ask that people coming from those countries be admitted to the European green pass as soon as possible. There are some covid free flights for vaccinated and buffered dogs, which do not require quarantine upon arrival. But they are already all full. Our proposal is to eliminate the quarantine for those with a valid vaccination document, as Spain and France will do from the next few days ».
The ultra high-net-worth individual (UHNWI), i.e. people with assets over a million dollars, and other wealthy foreigners are ready to book and leave as early as June. And Italy ranks first on their preference list. The reasons are obvious, as confirmed by a Travel + Leisure article a few months ago, which dedicated a special issue to our country, electing it “Destination of the Year”: in an article entitled «What does a traveler expect in 2021? », He replied« everything that has always attracted him: food, wine, craftsmanship, fashion, history, the sea and doing nothing ». And Italy has all the qualities listed, including some of the most beautiful hotels in the world, we can add without fail.
“The demand for private flights and villas for smartworking is increasing”
Our loyal and most awaited tourists miss the Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, Venice, Capri, but are waiting to understand the rules and protocols, dates and precise openings. “I get countless calls every day from people who can’t wait to leave,” says Erina Pindar, manging director of SmartFlyer, one of the largest travel agencies operating in the luxury segment in the United States, with customers always at the search for the best facilities. «Obviously the concept of“ best ”is very subjective, and our role is to interpret it – he continues -. At this moment it is more difficult, because we do not understand well what situation we find in the individual countries. Tourists want to literally go anywhere, which today means “where you can”. However, the number one destination for us remains Italy ». Already in 2019 SmartFlyer had organized trips from the Dolomites to Sicily for 30 million euros. “The announcement of the European Union on the opening to the United States by the summer has given a good boost to bookings in Italy, France and Spain – adds Pindar -, but we are forced to warn our customers that they could change their destination. last moment, evaluating Greece and Croatia, where entry is allowed to those who are vaccinated ». And thus unleashing merciless competition between nations.