Virus, “boom canceled in travel agencies”

Not just health risks. The coronavirus can undermine the Italian tourism sector and its allied businesses, primarily trade. This was assured by Cna Turismo, which conducted an investigation among the travel agencies associated with Aiav, an organization belonging to the Confederation. Certainly, since the coronavirus panic has spread, travel agencies have been receiving cancellations of reservations for individual and group travel to a far more remarkable extent than physiological cancellations.

With Italians headed abroad, to the test of facts, more fearful of the coronavirus than foreigners heading to Italy are. An alarmist effect that, the operators explain, for now would be causing the greatest damage. In detail, cancellations of reservations by individual travelers with destination in our country amount to 4% of arrivals by February 28 and 3% by March 30; the performance of the booked by June 30 is stable. The negative result of group travel was more contained, registering -2% for arrivals by March 30 and stability by March 30 and beyond. However, cancellations for school groups soar: 8% of the booked with arrivals by 28 February, 7% by 30 March and 1% by 30 June.

It is not the short run that worries Italian operators the most. These are the prospects. Chinese tourism in our country generates an economic movement of one and a half billion euros. And it was constantly growing. A survey conducted by Cna Turismo last year predicted a 33% increase in tourists from the Asian giant in three years. Easy to understand the possible extent of the crisis, unless adequate solutions are quickly found. However, the problem does not only affect hoteliers. It ranges from transport to food and wine and crafts, positively influencing Made in Italy and exports to the Far East, of which direct knowledge of the tricolor excellences represents a magnificent flywheel.

Shopping also hangs in the balance, especially luxury goods. As their receipts show. Among non-European tourists, the Chinese are on average those who spend the most in Italy, according to a research by Planet, a global provider of paid services: last year 1129 euros per capita.

Travel agencies also complain about another aspect of the tourism business in the test of the coronavirus epidemic: the decline of Italians traveling abroad. Far more consistent than the opposite flow, at least as regards the cancellations received so far by the professional travel organizers involved in the Cna Turismo survey. The cancellations of the individual trips of our compatriots outside the borders touch 9% of the booked on departures to be made by February 28, 7% by March 30 and 3% by June 30.

Even among Italians, traveling in a group obviously gives courage: cancellations in this case concern 4% of the booked by February 28 and 2% by March 30 respectively, while they do not affect the longer deadlines. The number of cancellations for school groups is constantly double-digit, which reaches 14% of the booked by February 28, 22% by March 30, 11% by June 30.