[ad_1]
the words of Federalberghi and Commissioner Messina
L ‘Placebo effect for tourism in Sicily it is over: this was the summer season for hoteliers and for the entire tourism sector of the island. An august full in many spas, but September and October promise to be really heavy months for professionals. Numerous hotel establishments you are thinking of anticipate closing. Meanwhile, low-cost airlines are starting to cut back on flights from abroad to Sicily.
The tourism sector is one of the most affected by the pandemic, as shown by the number of Federalberghi, according to which it was registered in the Italian hotel tourism market in June a drop in attendance of 80.6% compared to the same month of the previous year. Flows from abroad are still paralyzed (-93.2%) and the domestic market is also bad (-67.2%). 110 thousand seasonal and temporary jobs of various kinds have been lost (-58.4%) and 140 thousand jobs are at risk.
For Italians, the return to normalcy continues in slow motion, for several reasons: many have consumed their vacations during the period of emergency shutdownMany have seen their income diminished due to layoffs or the reduction of consumption and the blocking of activities, many others – despite having income and time – give up going to make up for part of the lost time or out of fear.
“The whole sector is on its knees – aSign up to IlSicilia.it Nico Torrisi President of Federalberghi Sicily and CEO 
della Sac, the Catania Airport Management Company – Working July and August does not mean that the sector has had a recovery. This year, the tourists in Sicily were mostly Italians, but arrivals at least at Catania airport have been cut in half compared to last year. There is still a lot fear of virus and the situation for the entire sector is tragic. Vouchers for tourists arranged by the Region Siciliana gives a shot of oxygen but we demand more attention from the central executive in Rome“.
According to those interviewed, this 2020 without foreigners translates into a drop in turnover that exceeds 60-70 percent on average for the entire sector. “The tourist summer of Italians has come to an end, according to 
forecasts “. The president of Federalberghi Palermo tells IlSicilia.it Nicola Ferruggio. “The last days of August give us the end of the tourist presence of Italians who, having exhausted the very few vacations, begin to return to their cities. However, no one can think that a short month could have revived the luck of the traders, in fact. A tourism in which the quality was not targeted, the vacation voucher favored a certain flow but on the other hand it did not favor the quality of the flow. Tourist towns have been stormed. The fall in foreign tourism is sharp, drastic and worrying. We are also very concerned about how we will have to face this long winter season“.
The situation does not change with the transfer to other areas of Sicily that are usually the object of tourists: “It was a season of failure – he claims Antonio Marino, President of Federalberghi Trapani – The work was done in August, but otherwise it was a disaster. It cannot take a month to say that things have gone well. It would be a bluff. Many have decided not to open, others only open for a few weeks. The situation is dramatic“.
In the same wavelength Melchiorre Miceli, president of the Aots de San Vito Lo Cap: “August is not the text – he claims – The flows have been there, but this is because everyone is going on vacation this month. Otherwise it was a disaster, already in the previous months: July, June, May and April“And in September?”We will have a decline, it is already tangible, although not quantifiable – says Miceli – The larger realities will survive, but the smaller ones will shut down. I think of those who work practically exclusively during the summer season“.
The Councilor for Tourism has the same line of thought Manlio Messina, which photographs the reality of the sector and certainly cannot produce a positive balance: “In August it is true that we work, but a swallow does not make spring, aThe councilor of Catania confirms: Five months of total closure brought the sector to its knees. The first signs of September show how tourism is in sharp decline in Sicily. There have been numerous cancellations ”. Messina claims the interest of the Region in the sector: “We did what we could. There Covid Financial of 1,200 million euros, almost half is dedicated to the tourism sector. We have canceled the concession fees to reduce costs. We support reducing costs and expenses. But that is not enough. There are many people who risk buying for their family and some companies risk not doing it. We cannot afford the facilities to be closed. The national government has invested around 3 billion to date. If we think that France has invested around 18 billion – conclude – we understand the differences that exist“.
© All rights reserved
Label:
[ad_2]
