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The minister immediately repealed the decisions to open ski slopes, which had been taken by the provinces on the basis of measures taken by the previous government. Among others, the alpine region of Lombardy, Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto had planned to reopen the ski slopes, which had been slowly closing for a year, starting on February 15. Health authorities have not supported the relaunch of ski tourism due to mutations in the new coronavirus, especially the strong spread of the great variant of the United Kingdom, which mainly affects areas of northern Italy.
The regions protested the ministry’s last-minute ban.
Daniele D’Amario, head of tourism for the Council of Regions, said it was a great loss as everything in the Italian Alps was ready to receive tourists safely. He stressed that the opening of the ski slopes has been postponed by the Ministry of Health four times in recent months and now it has been paralyzed again at the last minute.
The mayor of Bardonecchia, Piedmont, known as a winter vacation spot, called Rome’s hesitation a Francesco Avati joke. He said he considered France more serious, where the ski slopes were closed and those who worked in the sector were not fooled.
Giancarlo Giorgetti, the league match minister who took office on Saturday, said the ski season was over. Giorgetti asked for immediate financial help for ski tourism in northern Italy. He pointed out that the 4.5 billion euros of public funds promised so far are not enough.
The sector has an annual turnover of 12,000 million euros and employs 400,000 people, including the hospitality industry in the ski area. Ski tourism in Italy receives 4 million guests a year, a third of them between December and January.
Cover image: Getty Images
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