It was the first post-Covid fair to be held in Italy with the presence of the public. A great challenge, which the Salone del Camper 2020 has fully won, without failing to meet the safety standards that were indispensable in this still delicate period. In fact, the 11th edition that has just ended was certainly among the most difficult and full of unknowns, at least on the eve, due to the many question marks represented by the Covid-19 crisis. Doubts, however, have been swept away by the ability of the caravanning people to respond with great discipline and a sense of responsibility to the new needs of behavior and adaptation, which has allowed them to achieve a success that exceeds everyone’s expectations.
The climate is one of general satisfaction for all the major players in the sector’s number one national event and one of the most important in the world. And the numbers speak for themselves: over 54,000 visitors who filled the 61,000 square meters of exhibition space for all 9 days of the event.
“The public respected all the precautions and all the control measures provided, with a sense of civility and exemplary education,” explained Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma with satisfaction. “This is certainly the greatest success of this 11th edition of the Salone del Camper, that is the confirmation that a fair can be done safely, even in a pandemic emergency. One of the best salons ever ended, for the passion, commitment and dedication that we all put into it to ensure that everything worked out at its best. I think we can safely say that we made it, we passed a difficult test made all in all simple by the collaboration of everyone, first of all the visitors who once again proved perfect in assimilating and putting into practice some basic rules of common sense and coexistence, which are the basis of the people’s philosophy of open air tourism. All together we have shown that a fair in safety with the paying public can be done”.
Everything went smoothly, from the day of the inauguration, Saturday 12 September, with the official greeting and the ribbon cutting performed by Paola De Micheli, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. The crowd of visitors was distributed in orderly and controlled queues at the entrances, the entry flows were smooth and facilitated, the access to the stands and the views of the vehicles on display went smoothly.
Satisfaction also for Simone Niccolai, President of APC – Association of Caravan and Camper Manufacturers, partner of Fiere di Parma in the organization of the show: “We are happy, there are no other words. The results exceeded our expectations, both as regards the turnout and as regards our commercial activity with a volume of sales during the fair equal to past editions: many enthusiasts interested in new vehicles and numerous newbies who for the first time facing this type of vehicle and holiday, certainly driven by the trend that sees caravans and campers as safe vehicles at this pandemic time. The open air tourism has once again given new vitality to our country, demonstrating that a trade fair event still has appeal and meaning, naturally if done with all the necessary and mandatory precautions and, above all, if managed as it was this one, that is in an impeccable way by everyone, even by visitors, to whom our greatest applause and thanks go”.
The sector was healthy and in a very clear recovery after the lockdown and the conditions were good, as Niccolai points out, adding: “The months of July and August had registered an increase in registrations over 100% compared to 2019; moreover, the motorhome had become the undisputed protagonist of this summer, being universally elected as the ideal vehicle for a safe holiday, so much so that more than a million tourists visited our Peninsula aboard recreational vehicles during the hottest months of the year”.
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