The conference on open-air tourism organized in recent days by the Italian association FAITA-Nordest in Roncade (TV) has brought to light several interesting elements. First of all, the excellent start to the tourist season, which portends the achievement of important results in 2023. Then the agreement with Intesa Sanpaolo bank, which offers funding opportunities for members interested in investing in a path of sustainability, and the collaboration with IMQ eAmbiente which analyzed various structures from the point of view of ESG (Environmental, Social and corporate Governance). Finally, the data of two research, presented by CISET-Ca’ Foscari, commissioned by FAITA-FederCamping.
In the foreground, the agreement signed with Intesa Sanpaolo, which makes financial instruments available to FAITA members present throughout Italy to encourage investment and relaunch the sector. With the “Motore Italia Energy Transition” programme, Intesa Sanpaolo has established a ceiling of €76 billion for the sustainable growth of the country, which can be used for investments to reduce energy dependence or to mitigate the increase in the cost of raw materials. The money can also be used for specialized consultancy services intended to facilitate access to tenders and the implementation of complex projects, perhaps by taking advantage of the collaboration agreements that Intesa Sanpaolo has reached with some of its partners.
The agreement signed today offers FAITA members new opportunities to continue sustainable growth. In particular, thanks to the “S-Loan CER” offer, by investing in renewable energy plants and making production available to a Renewable Energy Community, the company will be able to obtain a premium on the rate conditions.
The importance of ESG
Thanks to the ESG manifesto, campsites can obtain an environmental rating, essential for increasing competitiveness in the European tourism landscape of a sector that stands out for its high level of sustainability. In fact, all the structures analyzed by IMQ eAmbiente fall within the parameters of compliance, and 5 out of 10 show good to very good performances, however with ample room for improvement.
To evaluate their sustainability profile, FAITA companies will be able to access the “ESG Questionnaire”,thanks to which it will be possible to increase awareness of their ESG profile, understand the priority action levers to improve it, enhance the commitments undertaken in the field of sustainability and communicate the results achieved to all stakeholders. The point of reference for activities and consultancy in the sustainable field is the ESG Laboratory of Intesa Sanpaolo, a place for meeting, training, and workshops. For personnel training, the bank offers the “ESG Base” course in collaboration with Digit’Ed, while with Intesa Sanpaolo Rent Foryou, companies can resort to the rental of capital goods.
“For our bank, open-air tourism is a strategic sector for the country’s tourism system, and we are pleased to support the companies associated with FAITA on their path to sustainable growth,” commented Francesca Nieddu, Regional Director of Veneto East and Friuli Venezia-Giulia Intesa Sanpaolo. “Furthermore, to encourage investments in renewable energy plants, we presented a €76 billion plafond for the national industrial system, with particular attention to the development of Renewable Energy Communities; this credit is part of the €410 billion allocated by the Group over the period of the PNRR.”
“Today’s protocol highlights, supporting it, the role of the sector, in line with the five pillars of the Strategic Tourism Plan: governance and monitoring, accessible tourism, sustainability, digital tourism, and training,” explained Alberto Granzotto, president of FAITA-FederCamping. “The collaboration with the Intesa Sanpaolo group is a precious driving force to allow our companies to honor these ambitious objectives in recent days“.
A season well underway
Speaking instead of data and forecasts, the confirmation of a happy season – from Lake Garda to the beaches of the Adriatic coast – comes from HBenchmark, (the platform that feeds the Veneto Regional Tourist Observatory), which launched the new Ecobenchmark project to monitor the energy costs of companies and compare them with competitors.
At Easter, with 73% occupation of the structures, the Veneto coast recorded an increase of almost 9 percentage points compared to the same period in 2022. Employment in the campsites on Lake Garda is also growing, where the increase was 4.4 percentage points (80% in 2023, against 75.6% in 2022). Arrivals and attendance are increasing, with an average length of stay ranging from 10/11 days for bungalows and caravan to 13/14 days for the pitches.
Campsites better than hotels
The Studies and Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo has carried out an analysis to compare the economic development in the Triveneto of the accommodation facilities of campsites and villages, with a focus on FAITA members, compared to hotels.
Those of FAITA members are on average medium and large (the average turnover of campsites in 2019 was double that of hotels in the Triveneto), concentrated in seaside and lake locations. Reading the evolution of the turnover from 2008 to 2019 highlights the dynamism of the members (+64%, or more than double the growth of the hotel structures, which was equal to +27.6%), which also showed more resiliency in the post-pandemic recovery of 2021 (-1.9% change in turnover between 2019 and 2021 against -25.6% for hotels).
These findings are confirmed by type of location and company size: among the FAITA members, the performance of medium and large-sized structures stands out in particular. On the investment side, noteworthy growth (+36% in the period between 2008 and 2019) and the commitment to qualifying the structures also in the period between 2019 and 2021, particularly high for medium-large structures. The correlation between the investments made between 2008 and 2017 and the turnover achieved in the following three-year period (2017-2019) is evident.
The key to the competitiveness of FAITA campsites and villages lies perhaps precisely in the constant drive to renew the offer which has led them to profitability levels in 2021 (39.7%) much higher than hotel structures (25.2%), accompanied by the strengthening of their capitalization (from 54% of shareholders’ equity to assets in 2019 to 59% in 2021).
WTTC, female employment shows significant growth in the travel and tourism sector