Undersecretary Bonaccorsi: We are working on the vacation bonus. Tourism this year will be sustainable and in uncrowded places

Undersecretary for Cultural Heritage and Tourism Lorenza Bonaccorsi spoke this morning on the program Uno Mattina on Rai Uno to take stock on tourism, introducing some of the guidelines the government is following to revive the sector, to allow tourism businesses to work and Italians to go on vacation. “The trend,” said the undersecretary, “is that of sustainable tourism, which is going to the places in Italy called minor, which such is not. It is in the sentiment that we tested, to understand the direction in this period, and that goes toward choosing less mass destinations, toward that Italy of the villages that we have all over the territory in a widespread way.” So the trend will be toward sustainable vacations and in less crowded places.

As for operations and guidelines, Bonaccorsi said the government is hard at work. “All the work we are doing,” he emphasized, “must go hand in hand with the trend of contagion in our country, because in the first place always and in any case is the safety and health of citizens. In accordance with this, we are building a pathway to get through the summer. Already as of today, all regions have the ability to give operators access to hotel and beach facilities for maintenance. We have contacted the Colao committee to understand exactly what the safety measures are. As we know, the main measure is sanitation and social distancing. We are working in this direction to provide guidelines as soon as possible.”

On the issue of displacement, Bonaccorsi said that “it is clear that we have to go step by step and understand the trend of the virus. With respect to the coming days we will build the pathway between now and the summer. We have been in constant discussion with the trade associations, and it is also important for us to build protocols so that people can enjoy the vacations. This is the goal we need to get to.” As for the work in campgrounds and bathing establishments, Bonaccorsi let it be known that the government has given the final go-ahead for maintenance work.

Bonaccorsi again today, but in a letter to the newspaper Il Foglio, spoke on the subject of vacation bonuses: “from the beginning of this crisis it was very clear that to save the summer season it would be necessary to activate a strong impulse on tourism in Italy. This is why we are reasoning together with the sector’s operators on how to realize what we could think of as an ’Italian vacation bonus’ that will be fundamental now for the entire sector but also the tool from which to restart when the country can finally reopen to international tourism flows. My personal commitment, and that of the women and men of the institutions of Italian tourism, will be firmly oriented toward achieving this ambitious goal. It will not take a short time but I have in me the granitic certainty that this is possible.” The vacation voucher, he added in an interview with the daily newspaper Avvenire, “is one of the measures that we are being asked for by trade associations, but also by the State-Regions conference. We have to figure out how to implement it, we are working on it. It is a bonus that will be able to be spent or deducted-we have to figure it out. There is absolutely talk about ’domestic’ tourism in Italy. We’ve been asked by many businesses for a tax credit on lost sales with respect to next year. Then there is the issue of seasonal workers (to whom Cig has been extended), but now we have to think about protecting workers who will never be hired. And we think about a tourism promotion campaign, both domestic and aimed at tourism from abroad to be ready when the borders open again. One of the requests of the regional assessors are guidelines of the scientific committee, which can show a path toward reopening.”

As for reopenings, Bonaccorsi said that "the indication of social distancing will have to be respected. China has reopened cultural sites at 30 percent capacity; there will be a tendency to rarefy attendance. Spain is already working on it, and has provided for spacing between umbrellas, which will not be possible on all beaches with us. So we need to work closely with the territory, to build a new model

Undersecretary Bonaccorsi: We are working on the vacation bonus. Tourism this year will be sustainable and in uncrowded places

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.