Present and future scenarios according to Faita Federcamping

Maurizio Vianello national president of Faita Federcamping, intervened with a video message on March 27 on the Facebook group of Faita targeted at the Covid 19 emergency. President Vianello addressed all the entrepreneurs of the Italian open air sector, whether or not Faita members , offering not only an overview of how the association is moving at an institutional level, but also sharing some scenarios of the future and offering useful advice to manage the emergency and what will ensue.

“We are trying to interact with the Government in order to have the necessary attention to our sector, given that this health situation is creating a forthcoming and important economic and financial problem for all companies” – says Vianello. In this period there has been a little confusion at the regulatory level, with rules that have overlapped and above all there is no possibility to open the campsites to carry out the ordinary maintenance of the greenery, the plants and all that is preparatory to the opening of the season. On this point, in particular, the association’s efforts are focusing.

President Vianello, then, who today assumes an opening date between May 15 and June 15 (but waits for Easter week to have more defined scenarios), emphasizes the economic and financial problems of future years 2021 , 2022 and 2023. In this direction Faita has interacted with banks in order to be able to access shifts in mortgage and loans in 2020 and to be able to increase finance short-term liquidity. Faita Federcamping estimates a decrease in attendance of around 50% deriving both from the shifting of the opening dates, and from the emergency situation also in the foreign countries and for the fact that the Italians will have less money and less holidays this year.

“The suggestion that I give to everyone is to prepare for maximum management of economies in order to be able to withstand the heaviness of the financial situation, however, resorting to the help of the banks that have made themselves available,” says Vianello. Then he urges all campsite owners to maintain excellent relationships with people: customers, employees, suppliers, tour operators. With customers, when they cancel the reservation and request a refund of the deposit. “It is better to return the money than other formulas. The voucher formula can be used but, let me suggest, only if there is the customer’s consent, because otherwise an annoying conflict can be triggered “continues Vianello. “We have news of customers who have specifically requested the application of the voucher to be able to move the holiday both over time, during this season, but even to move everything in 2021. So if we treat the relationship with the customer correctly, perhaps we can get it some good results, rather than hiding behind purely bureaucratic aspects “.

The president also suggests cultivating good relations with suppliers, both of services and of goods, from which we will return to buy during the season and negotiate payment extensions in a positive way. Good relations also with the staff, keeping the most skilled collaborators tied for the coming years. “Since everyday life can generate anxieties and difficulties that are purely operational, I would like to suggest to all of us to think above all about the future perspective, in which new marketing and communication management will have to be applied because, in this short time, many consumer habits will change, and therefore we will also have to be able to interpret new needs with adequate responses. So let’s think more about how to do the job in the near future rather than trying to find immediate solutions that perhaps will be automatically resolved as health problems are overcome or mitigated”. The problem, says Vianello again, will be how to prepare for the 2021, 22 and 23 financial years, because everything that will be moved today in financial and commitment terms, will flow over the next financial years and before returning to a situation of flows as before epidemic crisis will take a long time. “What has emerged” – the president concludes – “is the need to create a common front, to put the Italian camping system on the net, even informally. So much so that my communication is addressed to all camping owners and managers, whether they are FAITA members or not”.