Italy reopened to European travelers on Wednesday, three months after the country was stranded against coronaviruses, with hopes of reviving the key tourism industry at the start of the summer season.
The gondolas were ready to walk along the canals of Venice, lovers could play “Romeo and Juliet” on the famous balcony of Verona, and gladiators could pose for selfies at the Coliseum in Rome.
But it was feared that many foreign tourists would be sent back to a country that was still shaking off a vicious pandemic.
“Come to Calabria. There is only one risk: that you will get fat,” said the governor of the South region, Jole Santelli, on Sunday as the race started to attract big spenders – or whatever. what a spender – on the sandy coasts of Italy.
Italy was the first European country hard hit by the coronavirus and officially declared more than 33,000 deaths.
It imposed a crippling economic lockdown in early March and has since seen its number of contagions drop dramatically.
As the country is facing its deepest recession since World War II, it needs foreigners to return quickly.
But it still reports hundreds of new cases a day, especially in the northern Lombardy region, and experts warn that the government may be in a hurry to allow travel between regions and abroad.
“We were hoping to see some movement from today, but we haven’t booked any foreign tourists for this week or the next,” said Alessandra Conti, receptionist at the Albergo del Senato hotel that overlooks the Pantheon from Rome.
“We have some reservations from mid-June … (but) we are still receiving a lot of cancellations for this summer”.
“Like a leper”
International flights were to resume only in three main cities: Milan, Rome and Naples.
And it was feared that those who usually come by car, train or ferry from neighboring countries would go elsewhere during their vacation.
Switzerland has warned its citizens that if they go to Italy, they will be subjected to “sanitary measures” upon their return. The country will open its borders with Germany, France and Austria on June 15, but not with Italy.
Austria lifts restrictions in mid-June with Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – but again, not Italy, described last week by the Minister of Health for Vienna as “always a hotspot”.
Other countries, such as Belgium and Great Britain, advise against or prohibit all non-essential travel abroad.
In response to the perceived anti-Italian sentiment, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio warned countries not to treat Italy “like a leper”.
He said on Saturday that he would travel to Germany, Slovenia and Greece to persuade them that Italy is safe for foreign tourists.
Arrivals to Italy from Europe will not be required to self-isolate unless they have recently traveled from another continent.
On the border between the city of Ventimiglia in Italy and Menton in France, more people were trying to enter France through Italy than the opposite early Wednesday, but the controls on the French side were very strict.
“The situation is a bit complex. There is a total reopening of the Italian borders, but the situation is not the same on the French side,” a police source told AFP, while drivers trapped in long queues sounded the horn.
Too expensive
The foreclosure of Italy had a particularly devastating effect on the tourism sector, which accounts for around 13% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Historic sites have been closed, restaurants closed and hotels have been used to treat sick coronaviruses.
Restaurants, cafes and beach establishments have slowly reopened in the past two weeks – although the government has said it reserves the right to impose local locks if it sees an increase in the number of contagions.
But only 40 of 1,200 hotels in Rome have reopened, Corriere della Sera reported on Monday, and only a dozen in Milan. It costs too much to open them if they are just empty.
“My hoteliers all want to reopen, but as long as the borders remain closed, this is not possible,” Marco Michielli, deputy director of the association of hoteliers Federalberghi, told AFP on Saturday.
The Italian national tourism agency (ENIT) said that around 40 percent of Italians traditionally travel abroad on vacation, but may be forced to go on holiday this year, helping local businesses.
This may not be comforting for those who manage the country’s expensive historic sites, as most of the tens of thousands of visitors who usually flock to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pantheon, or Pompeii daily come from abroad.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
