For years the Italian operators have been asking for it and now with the newborn Draghi Government it has become a reality. Tourism has its own ministry, also with a portfolio, under the leadership of the Northern League player Massimo Garavaglia, former Deputy Minister of Economy. For the separation from the Department of Culture (Mibact – Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism) a specific law will be needed, probably a decree. However, the fact that it was created is already an important victory, welcomed by the associations that deal with trade and tourism.
In the comment of the president of Confcommercio, Carlo Sangalli, about the speech to the Senate of the Prime Minister Mario Draghi, we read words of satisfaction in reference to the declaration on the common responsibility for a new reconstruction. “It is an all the more demanding responsibility, because, after the health emergency emerges, not everything will be able to return to the way it was before”, comments Sangalli. “Important, in this context, is the specific reference to tourism that must be supported both to overcome the ‘disaster created by the pandemic’ and to address the challenge of change and sustainability”.
Confcommercio: a right and necessary choice
The president of Confcommercio, to which Faita Federcamping, Federalberghi, Fipe – Italian Federation of Public Exercises, and Fiavet – Italian Federation of Travel and Tourism Business Associations adhere, also expressed himself on the new executive: “The government team has the potential to change the crisis that is worsening. Well, as we have long hoped for, the return of the Ministry of Tourism is a right and necessary choice, both for the dramatic impact of the pandemic on the sector, and because the restart of Italian tourism is a strategic condition for the restart of all our Country”.
Luca Patanè, president of Confturismo, which is part of Confcommercio, also expressed his satisfaction with the creation of a ministry dedicated to the sector. “A tourism minister with skills perfectly tailored within the framework provided for by the Constitution and with a portfolio – if a good day starts in the morning, a great season opens for tourism, exhausted by the current crisis, at least from an institutional point of view”.
Federalberghi: news to celebrate
Enthusiasm and positivity on the part of Federalberghi – Federation of Italian Hotel and Tourism Associations. “It doesn’t seem true to me and it’s really news to celebrate. Finally, after a wait of years, we have a dedicated tourism ministry”, comments President Bernabò Bocca. “And above all a ministry with a portfolio, not a ministry that cuts tapes at the inaugurations. A full-bodied ministry, full of contents. We were tired of being hosted here and there. Italy deserves a dedicated ministry. From now on, we ensure the full availability of the Federalberghi system to collaborate with the Government, in the interest of the country. Tourism needs immediate interventions, to get out of the storm, and to plan a restart with investments that allow us to compete on equal terms with fierce international competition”.
Travel agencies are also cheering. “We are confident that travel agencies and tour operators will soon start an effective dialogue and collaboration in view of a complete rebirth of the basic sector for our country, which occupies 13% of GDP and employs 15% of the workforce”, declared Ivana Jelinic, president of Fiavet Confcommercio. “It was no longer possible not to dedicate a ministry to a sector which, as confirmed by Confcommercio data, contributes 44 billion to the Italian trade balance and records a production value of 190 billion. As president of Fiavet Confcommercio, I give my full availability, immediately, for an effective and concrete dialogue”.
Confesercenti: enthusiasm and availability
Positive feedback comes from Confesercenti, to which, among other things, adhere Assocamping – National association of open-air tourist accommodation companies, Assoturismo – Italian Tourism Federation, Assohotel– National Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs, Assoviaggi – Italian Association of Travel Agencies belong and tourism, Fiba – Italian Federation of seaside businesses and Fiepet – Italian Federation of public and tourist operators.
The president of Confesercenti, Patrizia De Luise, in commenting on the speech with which Prime Minister Mario Draghi asked the Senate for trust, said she was satisfied with the attention to tourism, stating “that it can really become the driving force for the recovery of the country, and to the cities of art. For some time, we have been asking for projects aimed at restarting the latter and, in general, to initiate measures for urban regeneration that invest in local activities, irreplaceable in a model of city that wants to combine environmental sustainability and services to citizens”.
Assoturismo: the first step is the right one
Assoturismo Confesercenti, in the person of its president Vittorio Messina, also expressed itself positively on the topic of the new Ministry of Tourism. “The first step is the right one. The dedicated ministry is a signal that the world of tourism has been waiting for for some time, and a request that Assoturismo in particular has been carrying out for years. Italian tourism absolutely needs a single control room for the relaunch of the sector and to coordinate the investments of the recovery fund at a national level”. Messina confirms its willingness to collaborate: “We wish the new minister Massimo Garavaglia our best wishes for the new job: he will be able to count on our availability. The hope is that the ministry will now become operational in a short time, and that the delays in operations we have been accustomed to in the past will not repeat themselves. But above all that the new government team led by Mario Draghi ferries, as soon as possible, the country out of the health and economic crisis and the tourism sector finally has the centrality it deserves”.
Maurizio Rustignoli, president of Fiba (Italian Federation of Seaside Companies) Confesercenti says he is satisfied with the choice made by Minister Mario Draghi to establish the Ministry of Tourism. “The tourism industry, a sector particularly affected by the corona situation today, can represent the starting point for the economy of our country. For the relaunch of the tourism sector, the seaside sector is of fundamental importance: the data confirm that about 50 percent of tourist flows are generated precisely by the ‘beach holiday’. For this and other reasons, therefore, it remains urgent to continue the reform process of the sector: Fiba Confesercenti is immediately available to be able to contribute to this sense”.
Problems for the BVCD, which pushes for the reopening of campsites but condemns wild camping