In 2019, Russian tourists who visited Italy were 1.7 million and left almost one billion euros in the beautiful country
The figures kindly provided by a German channel, with undisguised satisfaction. The www.tagesschau.de
In 2019, 1.7 million Russian vacationers visited Italy and left almost a billion euros in Italy where, together with Americans and Chinese, they are considered particularly willing to spend. The hopes of the badly affected Italian tourism industry had been pinned on them. The prospect of a fresh start in the spring had kept many companies alive. The government loosened the Covid rules in February for precisely this clientele: anyone who had been vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik vaccine could enter the country and use all the recreational and gastronomic offers with a simple quick test.
Cancellations from guests from all over the world
The war now shatters all dreams of relaxation from Milan to Rimini. The seaside and entertainment resort on the Adriatic ranks first in favor of the Russian clientele, which alone accounts for 15 percent of the tourism sector. Rome is second, followed by Venice with nine percent. According to a forecast by the hotel association "Federalberghi", the capital alone will lose approximately 150 million euros in turnover this year.
Russian yachts and their wealthy owners were most attracted to Sardinia's Costa Smeralda. But most left the island quickly to avoid being kidnapped by the Italian financial police. The Guardia di Finanza very heavily confiscates Russian luxury goods, including villas and yachts, as part of EU sanctions against Russia. “I know that sanctions and commercial reprisals at European level are inevitable, but we were hoping for these tourists who have been vaccinated with Sputnik and who can now enter”, says Ivana Jelinic, president of the trade association “Fiavet-Confcommercio”. The Italian tourism industry could hardly cope with an 80% drop in sales in two years of the pandemic. Americans and Europeans are also now canceling their trips to Italy for fear that the war could escalate.
Tales of despair
“Our industry is in its greatest crisis. Companies are out of cash and are not even able to use recovery fund benefits such as investment tax credits, ”says Jelinic. He fears that many companies will not be able to withstand another year of crisis. "I know it may seem cynical to talk about economic fallout, but the impact on people's lives is huge." Suicide rates are on the rise in the industry. “Every day we collect stories of despair”. The hoteliers and luxury shops of Milan and Bologna had focused on the Orthodox Easter celebrations. On average, 175,000 overnight guests come from Russia during this period and spend around 20 million euros. Nobody expects it this year. Even the feast of the Resurrection will not help the tourism industry in Italy.
Rome hotels help Ukrainian refugees With a 13% share of gross domestic product until the start of the pandemic, the sector is of systemic importance. Under Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the Italian economy has slowly recovered from the legacy and political mistakes of the past. With an impressive 6.6% growth, the country was a model student in Europe last year and was able to implement major reforms. The war in Ukraine can undo all this. First of all, the hotels in Rome help to welcome the many war refugees from Ukraine. Up to one million people are expected in Italy. Some will be housed in empty hotel rooms. The ecclesial community of Sant'Egidio, which deals with aid to refugees, initially assumes the hotel costs of 40 refugee families.
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The article In 2019 Russian tourists who visited Italy were 1.7 million and left almost a billion euros in the beautiful country comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/nel-2019-i-turisti-russi-che-hanno-visitato-litalia-sono-stati-17-milioni-e-hanno-lasciato-quasi-un-miliardo-di-euro-nel-belpaese/ on Mon, 21 Mar 2022 20:31:58 +0000.