Without tourists, the sector lost around 7,6 billion euros, according to the traders' association
The association that represents around 360 thousand small and medium-sized Italian companies, detailed that of the 7 billion euros that were lost due to lack of tourists, 6 billion correspond to losses in the accommodation, restaurants, business and services sector.
The big five Italian tourist cities - Rome, Florença, Milan , Turin e Veneza –concentrate a third of tourism entries in the country.
Those responsible for the study indicate that these are conservative estimates, but that they may even be optimistic if there is no recovery in the flow of travelers by the end of the year.
The study shows that, among these cities, the worst situation is that of Venice, one of the most sought after destinations in the world, but expects a decrease of 13,2 million tourists, totaling 3 billion euros in lost revenue.
Next comes Rome, where forecasts point to a reduction of 9,9 million tourists and 2,3 billion euros, and Florence, where five million fewer tourists and a reduction of 1,2 billion euros in revenue are expected.
The reduction in foreign tourists cannot be compensated by national tourism, as Italians prefer tourist complexes and coastal locations.
Home office weighs in the balance
The study also shows that there is a high percentage of people working from home, which causes a reduction in consumption in restaurants and business accommodation expenses.
By the end of the year, the effects of home office, are expected to result in a loss of 1,7 billion euros in these five cities.
“Tourism is paying a very high price for the Covid-19 pandemic. A hard blow that is felt especially in large tourist cities. It is a situation of exceptional gravity that requires extraordinary measures”, explained Patrizia De Luise, president of Confesercenti, cited by the Efe agency.
The association has already asked the Italian Government to create free zones in the historic centers of municipalities of cultural interest with a high tourist flow, which are those most affected by the crisis caused by the pandemic, and to help companies operating in these areas.
Italy is allowing tourists from the European Union to enter, although it has extended the mandatory two-week quarantine for citizens of Bulgaria and Romania to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Furthermore, it removed Algerian citizens from the list of non-EU countries, although, to enter Italy, they must also respect preventive quarantine, as the authorities in Rome imposed on all countries outside the Schengen Area.
Italy extended the state of emergency until October 15 to continue applying measures to contain the new coronavirus.
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