L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano C i t i n g Q u e e n E l i z a b e t h I I , 2020 has truly been an annus horribilis for the world. During its last days, perhaps moved by the necessity of feeling hopeful f o r t h e f u t u r e , w e ' v e a l l begun planning about our 2 0 2 1 a s i f i t c o u l d b e t h e beginning of a new era. Truth i s , w e a r e l i k e l y t o l i v e suspended in this pandemic l i m b o f o r s o m e m o r e months, but the worldwide vaccine campaign is certainly a sign that, yes, we may come out of it this year, finally. It's normal, then, to think about what will come after the pandemic, especially for those involved in one of the sectors that, across the world and in Italy especially, suffe- red the most: tourism. The numbers for 2020 are frigh- tening, as they don't only speak of financial losses, but also of struggling activities, of families without a live- lihood anymore. Minus 245 million visitors and 14 mil- lion in profits when compa- r e d w i t h 2 0 1 9 , t h e m o s t significant economic debacle registered in our country: data that call for an impor- tant and powerful plan to rebuild a sector on its knees, but also to solve some old p r o b l e m s a n d c r e a t e n e w avenues of interest. As reported in a recent article by Sara Pietrantoni on Vanity Fair Italy, this was the subject of an online mee- t i n g p r o m o t e d b y Associazione Civita and A N S A , a m o n g L o r e n z a B o n a c c o r s i , M i B A C T ' s undersecretary, Bernabò B o c c a , p r e s i d e n t o f Federalberghi, Tommaso Sacchi, Florence's councillor for culture, fashion, design and international relations, a n d s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a l o f C i v i t a , S i m o n e t t a Giordani. Civita is an asso- ciation created in 1987 to protect and valorize the town of Civita di Bagnoregio, and that has been working on d o i n g t h e s a m e f o r o t h e r areas of Italy. T h e m e e t i n g b r o u g h t forward interesting conside- rations, highlighting the need to find a way to bring back Italian tourism on its feet, without falling into the same mistakes of pre-Covid times, over-tourism among them all, as noted by Giordani her- self. Without a doubt, the first step must be economic, as the industry is still suffe- ring and needs financial sup- port to avoid total collapse. A series of interventions have been already implemented, such as the suspension of TOSAP, the tax owned to t h e S t a t e b y r e s t a u r a n t s , hotels and bars that have outdoor seating areas. The so-called ristori (financial s u p p o r t f o r b u s i n e s s e s ) i m p l e m e n t e d b y t h e Government are criticized, but fundamental, as they can help both the activities that d e c i d e d t o s t a y o p e n a n d those that, on the other hand, made the difficult choice to stay closed, awaiting better times, as it has been the case for many hotels. Bernabò Bocca, presi- dent of the Italian association of the accommodation sector, says the sector is bound to suffer for at least another couple of years, at least until 2023, when US tourists will return to visit Italy in the same numbers as pre-Covid times. Bocca says also that, m e a n w h i l e , m a n y h o t e l s could be restructured and t r a n s f o r m e d , b u t i n v e s t - ments are needed and the process may be difficult. But the tourism we need can't be the same as before: the pandemic changed us, and changed the way we con- ceive travel and vacations. The fear of infection, the dread of crowds will stay with us for long, even when we'll all be vaccinated and the virus will be long forgot- t e n . A n d t h e r e i s m o r e , because the exploitative turn mass tourism took in the past 1 0 t o 1 5 y e a r s i s n o t something we want to return to. It is then important, as m e n t i o n e d b y c o u n c i l o r Sacchi, to embrace a way of doing tourism that is "sustai- nable and integrated," and no longer centered on a cir- cus-like invasion of our art cities and naturalistic and historical sites. This means directing the interest of our visitors towards holidays centered on relax, on the respectful discovery of Italy's beauties also through lesser known aspects of the coun- try, including its countryside. A stronger accent placed on Italy's patrimonio diffuso, its w i d e s p r e a d p a t r i m o n y o f natural, artistic, culinary and historical heritage. If there is something that 2020 taught the world, inclu- ding the world of tourism, is that everything can be done online. For the whole year, in particular during the first months of lockdown, last Spring, museums, libraries and archaeological sites ope- ned up their doors to virtual visitors, often for free, inve- sting in a new way of learning a n d g e t t i n g t o k n o w t h e world. Without a doubt, vir- tual tourism has been a thing i n 2 0 2 0 a n d i t n e e d s t o r e m a i n s o i n t h e n e x t months, when our opportu- nities to travel for real will r e m a i n l a r g e l y l i m i t e d . Online visits, but also guided tours, where people can book their ticket and even interact with their guide, just as it would happen in reality. An example of this new format is offered by Museum Tribe, an association that organizes v i r t u a l t o u r s o f I t a l i a n museums and locations, both for free and by payment of a ticket (not more expensive of what you'd pay IRL): recen- tly, they offered an amazing tour of the Vatican and they are dedicating a whole month to the exploration of Venice. You can check out their mission and their tour offe- rings here: https://museum- tribe.com. LUCA SIGNORINI How can Italian tourism start over again after the pandemic? LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE a tourist takes a selfie in Piazza San Marco: how different will be tourism in Italy, when the pandemic is over? (Photo: Fedecandoniphoto/Dreamstime)

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