"It's time to book your vacation in Italy. We look forward to welcoming you," Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at the G20 meeting on May 4, during which he unveiled a plan to restart tourism in Italy, with a paper green pass for those who are immunized, test negative or vaccinated. Losing another season, after last year's 53 billion euro hole, would be disastrous for a sector that alone, without considering induced industries, was worth 13 percent of GDP in 2019.
Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, also told the New York Times that, given the efficiency of the vaccination campaign in the United States, Europe will open up by the summer to North Americans. The news, though lacking definite timeframes and ways, was greeted with enthusiasm by travelers and agencies, as evidenced by a 47 percent surge in searches for flights from the United States to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt as soon as the news was received. European countries with a strong tourism focus also reacted positively, except that they then came to terms with a much more complex reality, with the variety of individual situations between still ongoing curfews and slow-moving vaccinations, while there are countries such as Spain, Greece and Iceland that already had a definite plan in place for months to welcome tourists since last April.
"We need to catch up on protocols."
For a non-European, but also for operators who make travel arrangements, the picture is still disorienting. Luca Finardi, vice president for Italy of the luxury hotel group Mandarin Oriental, urgently calls for a defined reopening plan: "I believe that in this climate of uncertainty Italy must get organized as soon as possible, giving directives on its territory to communicate them clearly to Anglo-Saxon countries and those in the Middle East, where most of the population is now vaccinated." He continues, "This preventive action can save the summer and fall seasons. Americans and Middle Easterners are the most important markets for many Italian destinations, the islands, coasts, lakes and mountains, and especially art cities, which do not enjoy proximity tourism in summer." The hoteliers' demand is simple, as Finardi summarizes, "We are asking to admit people from those countries into the European green pass as soon as possible. There are some covid free flights for vaccinated and swabbed, which do not include quarantine upon arrival. But they are already are all full. Our proposal is to eliminate quarantine for those who have a valid vaccination document, as Spain and France will do starting in the next few days."
Ultra high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), that is, people with assets over $1 million, and other affluent foreigners are ready to book and leave as early as June. And Italy tops their list of preference. The reasons are intuitable, as reiterated by an article in Travel+Leisure a few months ago, which dedicated a special issue to our country, electing it "Destination of the Year": in an article titled "What does a traveler expect in 2021?", it answered "everything that has always attracted him: food, wine, craftsmanship, fashion, history, the sea and dolce far niente." And Italy possesses all the qualities listed, including some of the most beautiful hotels in the world, we can add without fail.
"Increasing demand for private flights and villas where to do smartworking"
Our loyal and most eagerly awaited tourists are longing for the Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, Venice, Capri, but are waiting to understand rules and protocols, exact dates and openings. "I get countless calls every day from people who can't wait to get going," says Erina Pindar, manging director of SmartFlyer, one of the largest travel agencies operating in the luxury segment in the United States, with clients always on the lookout for the best accommodations. "Obviously the concept of 'best' is very subjective, and our role is to interpret it," she continues. "Right now it's more difficult, because we don't really understand what the situation is in individual countries. Tourists want to go literally everywhere, which today means "where you can." However, the number one destination for us remains Italy." Already in 2019 SmartFlyer had organized trips from the Dolomites to Sicily for 30 million euros. "The European Union's announcement about opening up to the United States by the summer has given a big boost to bookings in Italy, France, and Spain," Pindar adds, "but we are forced to warn our clients that they might change their destination at the last moment, considering Greece and Croatia, where instead those who are vaccinated are allowed in.
And thus unleashing an unmerciful competition among nations.
The "private" initiatives of islands and hotels
Pending directives, some local initiatives are reassuring. For example, the vaccine campaign has been completed in Procida, the first Covid-free island, and soon in Capri and Ischia. And the most luxurious resorts, from north to south, are vouching for protocols and safety, collaborating at the forefront of the recovery: "At the Mandarin Oriental in Milan and Lago Di Como," Finardi points out, "we offer large private and outdoor spaces and an in-room molecular swab service, with results in 24 hours. It is a reliable test that allows you to move around the rest of Europe and return home without worry. In our hotels, safety is a priority. Confident of a positive response from Anglo-Saxon countries, which are historically our most important markets, on May 4 we also reopened our two starred restaurants, Seta in Milan and L'aria on Lake Como."
The will to reopen, with respect to the health situation, is compelling. Tourists are on the starting blocks. All that is missing are the final institutional directions at the national and European levels. The sooner they arrive, the more hope will grow to save another uncertain season.
