Over half of Italians plan holidays in 2021

ROME - Covid continues to hit tourism hard, with declining flows not only from abroad but also from Italy. But despite the picture still full of uncertainties, with movements between regions still prohibited and the variants of the virus that could require a tightening of restrictions, Italians do not lose confidence in the possibility of returning soon to move and reach holiday destinations, especially in the beautiful country. . This is the picture that emerges from the most recent surveys of the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce of Isnart and Unioncamere, according to which more than half of Italians - over 18 years of age - are planning a holiday for 2021; of these, 80% indicate Italy as one of their destinations as soon as conditions permit. However, this cautious optimism does not cancel the effects that the pandemic continues to have on the tourism sector. The forecast scenario, in fact - show the data - describes the persistence of the crisis and the predictive analysis for the first three months of 2021 gives indications of losses equal to approximately -64% of Italian flows and 85% of international ones compared to to 2019. With a further loss in terms of revenues estimated at around 8 billion euros. In the final balance of 2020, according to the surveys, tourist presences in Italy are estimated to decrease by 64% compared to 2019. Revenues from tourism spending also recorded a decrease of 53 billion euros compared to 2019, mainly attributable the sharp reduction in international presences in the summer months (with peaks of -73%). Overall, in 2020, 75% of the rooms available in hotel and non-hotel accommodation remained unsold. Improvements were recorded exclusively in the months of July and August when the occupancy rates of the rooms on average reached respectively 46% and 69%. The destinations most chosen by foreign visitors were hit hard: the cities of art, places that up to last year intercepted 38% of tourist flows. The modest recovery in August was almost exclusively linked to domestic tourism, represented by the 27 million Italians who took vacations favoring neighborhood destinations, the impact of which only partially offset the overall economic loss.