Tourism: Franceschini, the sector is on its knees

ROME - "The sector is on its knees, I am not going to tell you who are dealing with it in Parliament. I said it from the beginning, finding sharing by all my government colleagues: all sectors are affected by the emergency Covid 19, but if some sectors have faster recovery times, tourism will be affected for a longer time. In the general drama of the crisis, it must be recognized as extraordinary. This is why extraordinary action is needed ". The Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Dario Franceschini, said it in a video hearing at the Senate Industry, Trade and Tourism Commission for the programmatic lines of his ministry, clarifying that the state of crisis was not declared because in this case " it goes far beyond the emergency ".

"The crisis state of the sector has not been declared because we are in" extra-crisis ", that is, beyond the crisis. The crisis state tool is adopted when there is an ordinariness of the rest of the system and therefore a sector is identified in crisis and declares it in crisis with respect to the others, it does not give great immediate interventions but gives the possibility of derogating on some European contributions and rules. Here we are far beyond and we need concrete interventions ", added Franceschini.

"We are working so that the holidays in Italy can be done, but they will still be different holidays. I asked the Technical Scientific Committee, which is working in these hours, safety prescriptions for all sectors that concern my ministry, from theaters, cinemas, museums and events, to allow for their safe reopening and I have asked for them also for tourism, therefore hotels, bathing establishments and beaches in general (we have thousands of kilometers of free beaches), spas and etc. I believe that the answer will come in a very long time very short and will also serve for those who do not open tomorrow but need to know the measures to be taken in time "he adds.

 "Out of respect for the Government and Parliament I do not want to anticipate the measures we are discussing in these hours, to arrive at the approval of the so-called April-May decree, which will contain many measures on tourism but I want to anticipate them in the lines, not in the certainty, because the measures are certain when they become norms, not when they are announced. And I am very reluctant to the technique that has prevailed for years in our country, where proposals are announced as if they were already measures. Then they change and create disappointment and unmet expectations ". 

 "The so-called" holiday bonus "is" in reality it is a tax credit addressed to all families below a medium-low income threshold, based on the ISEE, which will vary according to the composition of the household. The sum will be spent by 2020 in all accommodation facilities. We have chosen the accommodation facilities because they must communicate the guest's personal data to the police headquarters within 24 hours and pay the tourist tax. This ensures absolute transparency, "he adds.

In addition to the first measures such as layoffs (which did not exist in tourism) and the € 600 for the self-employed extended to tourism workers, "the government - adds the minister - is studying a measure to protect all seasonal workers. not only those who worked last year, which are the easiest to identify, but finding an objective criterion for identifying "also those who would have worked this year if there had been no crisis and have not worked last year is more complicated . But we are applying. "

Franceschini then explained that the government is working to extend the "tax credit or refreshment for the rental fees of all companies in the tourism sector, not just those accommodation facilities" in proportion to the rent paid and to recognize "all tourism companies a measure of refreshment in the face of the drop in turnover beyond a certain threshold" but which "will cover all companies, even the smallest ones".