Italy recorded an unexpected increase in the number of tourists

 Italy recorded an unexpected increase in the number of tourists

The Italian Trade and Tourism Agency (CAN) in early September announced the results of a survey showing that a record number of Italians traveled domestically, creating a much-needed boost for tourism businesses this month. 7 and august.

Square St. Mark. (Photo: REUTERS)

Accordingly, 23 million Italians have chosen to take a vacation in the country this summer. Meanwhile, in the summer of 2020 there were only 17 million people, and in 2019 - a year before the pandemic - 18 million people traveled within the country.

Of the 23 million people who choose to travel domestically, 15 million stay in hotels, and another 8 million use other forms of accommodation, mainly at campsites.

Italy also attracts up to 6 million foreign tourists this summer. Although this number is modest compared to the years before the pandemic, it is still much higher than expected.

CAN says the increase in in-bound travel this summer is an "unexpected result" and demonstrates the positive effect of digital health certificates (medical green cards). The Digital Health Certificate is a form of electronic health passport.

Since the EU widely used the electronic health passport mechanism from July 1, visitors to Italy from other member states are required to present a medical green card certifying that they have been fully vaccinated, considering tested negative for Covid-19 or recovered.

Regulations for non-EU visitors to Italy vary and depend on where they are from. Fully vaccinated travelers from some non-EU countries such as the UK, US and Canada do not currently need to be quarantined.

The survey found that this summer Italy's seaside resorts attracted the most visitors, while the cities "remain greatly affected by the pandemic", although these cities are the most popular destinations for tourists. to the favorite of foreign tourists.

The smaller islands are also particularly popular with visitors this year. The survey found that this is partly due to initiatives such as promoting the island of Procida as Italy's next cultural capital and the "Covid-free Islands" campaign, which aims to attract tourists to regions with a high population density. low incidence of Covid-19

However, many popular resort areas, including the island regions of Sardinia and Sicily, have recorded new cases and increased hospitalizations in recent weeks.

To prevent this bad development, some regions have applied local health measures, although Sicily was declared in the "yellow zone" from August 20 under the system of applying restrictive regulations. at each level across the country.

Since June, Italy has lifted almost all restrictions related to Covid-19.