PARMA - Despite the painful winds of war that blow from Ukraine, tourism is ready for a summer of restart, but faces the knot of difficulty in finding workers: this is the alarm launched by the president of Federalberghi, Bernabò Bocca, at the assembly of the association in Parma.
And Minister Massimo Garavaglia relaunches from the Lega conference, proposing "a gradual exit" that will allow them to reduce it to 50% for seasonal workers, as long as they go to work.
It had been two years since the hoteliers had met in the traditional spring assembly (last year there was only a more informal meeting in Rome) and for this reason being in Parma has a special value.
Covid, which has done so much harm to the sector that in 2019 is worth over 13% of GDP and 14% of employment, Bocca does not even want to name it.
As for the war, it must not make people stop believing in the restart and the return to normality so longed for in recent years.
"We can and must look to the future with confidence. Tourism is peace, encounter, knowledge, experience of the other. A world with more tourism is a better world" says Bocca.
Also on the summer, the president says: "Even if Russia and the Far East are still blocked, we have the return of a large part of foreign tourism also in the cities of art, especially in America, but the most important data is that of the Italians. holidays and stay in Italy. This is a reason for us to be proud and proud ".
Garavaglia confirms the good forecasts: "With the cap removed, we have a great desire for Italy among the tourists of the world. A sort of 'revenge tourism' as Roberta Garibaldi of Enit says".
Now that the anti-Covid rules have also loosened in Italy, "from the first data - he adds - we note that in April May and June Italy has a filling rate of accommodation facilities 10 points higher than Spain, our traditional competitor. There is a rebound but we have to make it structural ".
However, hoteliers do not hide the new problems of the sector.
If before we talked about illegalism and overtourism, now the hot topics are bureaucracy (to be streamlined very soon) and staff shortages.
"These years have highlighted how important it is for our business to be able to count on valid, professionally competent and motivated collaborators.
Unfortunately, the traditional problems of finding manpower are now joined by a phenomenon of removal of personnel from our sector "says Bocca, but also the other guests such as the starred chef Carlo Cracco confirm this (" catering in hotels is becoming an added value always more important ") and the governor of Emilia Romagna Stefano Bonaccini who announces a regional law to attract talents from abroad and keep our local ones in Italy.
The problem of professionalism is the first on Garavaglia's list: "There are 300-350 thousand figures missing - he tells hoteliers - in the world of tourism and with the high number of unemployed we have it means that something is wrong. The idea is to meet next week with Minister Orlando and have a table with the operators to see what can be done immediately. Citizenship income and Naspi should be reviewed, because they are an obstacle to the meeting between supply and demand work, but also a rethinking of vouchers ".
And at the Lega conference "The Italy we want" he adds: "We need a radical adjustment. I propose a gradual exit, for example, I think we will take away 50% of a seasonal one as long as he goes to work".
Greater flexibility of the NRP is also in the ministry's priorities.
"For tourism we have 2.4 billion and they are 1% but the sector weighs 13% of GDP. We found it from the previous government, so we try to do the best with what we have by exploiting the leverage effect with which they become 7 billion.
The first theme on the NRP is that of flexibility. The last thing we can afford as a country system is to have 200 billion and not use all of them. When you have measures that pull you have to refinance them. We have to find other resources with the normal budget means. , but Minister Franco gave me reassurance on this ".
