Confturismo-Confcommercio: “For fear of the pandemic, six out of ten Italians do not even consider taking a holiday between now and the end of the year”.

The balance of the Tourism sectoris ‘fixed’ red: after 5 months that burned 49.5 million arrivals in Italy and 153.5 million presences in addition to 10.5 million fewer Italians abroad, August and September did not fare better, if not for a very slight recovery in internal flows, characterized by short stays and decidedly reduced spending capacity.

The confidence index of the Italian traveler, calculated monthly by SWG on behalf of Confturismo-Confcommercio,however, provides even worse indications for the immediate future: the propensity to travel, calculated with interviews made between 21 and 26 October, drops to 49 points – on a scale of 0-100 – the worst result of 6 years of detection after 44 points in April, when we were in full lockdown: 17 points below October 2019.

Six out of ten Italians do not even consider taking a holiday between now and the end of the year and the element behind all this is the fear of the pandemic, as 64% say. A fear so deep-rooted as to influence – and this is the most critical issue – the months to come until summer 2021, when respondents seriously consider the possibility of taking a holiday of at least 7 days. “A scenario dictated by emotionality and uncertainty but which, if confirmed, would blow up the business of the sector for the white weeks, Carnival and Easter: it would be the point of no return”, writes in a note Confturismo-Confcommercio.

From the answers of the interviewees emerges the request for flexibility in the contracts for the purchase of tourist services – therefore the possibility of canceling without penalties until the last moment – and certain information on the health security of the destination and the trip. Less important, at this stage, the economic aspect such as, for example, bonuses and tax deductibility of travel expenses.

“Effective therefore would be the adhesion of all EU countries – starting from Italy – to the “COVID-19 package” launched in October by the European Commission, which includes the recommendation for common rules on travel restrictions, a special protocol for rapid health checks on travelers and on the application of quarantines and an immediate and certified exchange of information on epidemiological trends” concludes Confturismo-Confcommercio.