Assocamping Confesercenti, the Italian association of outdoor tourism and hospitality businesses, has issued a press release in which president Monica Saielli asks the government economic supports for the sector’s companies.
“All those economic and financial measures promised by the government to support companies in the sector, not yet seen, are now essential to restart the activities of the outdoor business in the context of Phase 2. Minister Franceschini and Minister Gualtieri must call us as soon as possible, as a matter of pure survival ” says the president of Assocamping Confesercenti “It is also necessary to identify in detail, with the help of the Ministry of Health or the Regional Departments, the protocols to enforce for the vacation season and the timing of the reopening of our facilities”.
“The World Health Organization offers an authoritative indication: outdoor tourism facilities are currently evaluating the guidelines for Covid-19 management as established by the WHO, and are organizing their own activities according to them. Undoubtedly, the value of campsites and tourist villages are, now more than ever, large spaces. Outdoor facilities are comparable to large parks, where the incidence of closed volumes is minimal compared to the surface of the structure and where the interpersonal meter can be widely respected”.
“Each crew” – marks Monica Saielli – “has at his disposal not only a reserved space, the pitch, a green and wooded area ranging from 65 sm to 120 sm, on which camper, caravan tent or mobile home and bungalows are placed, but also large common areas where, we believe, each guest can have an average of 30 square meters and each family or group, formed for 4 people, 120 square meters. High level hygienic conditions have always been the pride of our facilities: we will increase the cleaning, disinfection and sanitization shifts of common areas and rooms by adopting all management, organizational and structural precautions needed in order to secure at best our workers and guests. We will provide, even in this emergency, a safe outdoor holiday. “
“It is now essential – says Saielli – to support the sector by an emergency fund in order to compensate part of losses, to face 2020 and to start again in 2021. Earnings of April and May, valued at least 30% of the turnover, are now lost; assuming to reopen by the end of May, it is assumed that earnings will be, at best, 50% lower than last year and this will be hardly enough to cover the management costs”.
“It is a tsunami that overwhelmed tourism and if the government does not apply with concrete measures, thousands of companies will be on their knees. We hope that our requests – tax credit on rental fees extended to outdoor tourism business, moratorium on 18-month mortgages, suspension of state fees, exemption from Tari and Imu, tax relief for new hires, etc. – will be in the forthcoming decrees or it will be an economic tragedy. The same decree does not take into account the needs of the sector: campsites and tourist villages are complex structures, with high costs, significant resources invested. Bureaucracy and new debt to meet current expenses are not possible. We need liquidity, to be repaid quickly, and at zero rate. We need confidence to be able to overcome this emergency which is not only medical, but economic: we urge the government to listen to our voice”.
Among the themes of the SUN Beach&Outdoor Style 2020 there are safety and “new” marketing