Italy has opened its borders and the Lithuanian ambassador warns about social and tourist challenges.

According to R. Šlepavičius, tourism and culture in Italy create about 15 percent. gross domestic product. Speaking out loud that the country is facing its worst economic crisis since World War II, the ambassador said, Italians have no choice but to try to become the center of tourist attention again.

On the other hand, the ambassador ensures that the economy is not the only factor. According to R. Šlepavičius, it is certain whether the country would decide to open the borders, if not the decreasing number of coronavirus cases.

“If it weren’t for the factor, the walls wouldn’t be open anywhere,” he says.

Photo by Paulius Jurkevičius / Ambassador Ričardas Šlepavičius decided to hang an original photo of the pre-war Lithuanian Embassy in Rome “Villa Lithuania” in the Embassy’s small meeting room.

According to the ambassador, the coronavirus situation in the country is improving. Recently, the growth of new diseases is only 0.1-0.2 percent, and the number of registered diseases in Rome is similar to that of Lithuania, up to 10 per day.

That change in behavior is very strong, very visible.

And although the virus appears to have been controlled, the changes in social life it causes will continue for a long time. According to R. Šlepavičius, there is a high probability that the Italian will not shake hands or hug incoming tourists.

“If in the past the Italians not only shook hands, but also hugged people and friends, now they do not shake hands, the distance is observed. That change in behavior is very strong, very visible,” says the ambassador .

Those who want to travel to Italy, according to R. Šlepavičius, should carefully plan the trip: what is its purpose, where it takes place, because many surprises can be expected.

One of them is that you will only be admitted to the museum if you have booked in advance, due to the difficult economic situation and the lack of tourists, many restaurants are not open and not all hotels accept travelers.

“All the circumstances must be evaluated: where do they go, which hotels, what is that travel plan,” says the interlocutor.

Watch the full interview with the Lithuanian Ambassador to Italy R.Šlepavičius:

There is time to plan a trip to Italy, because so far it is very difficult to get there from Lithuania. True, according to the ambassador, to his knowledge, some airlines already plan to resume direct flights.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that precautionary measures are recommended when traveling to Italy. The Health Ministry announced Monday that 14 days of self-isolation will be required for some time when I return from Italy. Does not apply to arrivals in these 24 states.