Italian businessmen complain about the decrease of people on the beaches, allegedly they are expensive
- WT.24
- 11. 8.
- Minut čtení: 3
Rome, August 11 - Italian businessmen complain about a significant decrease in visitors to paid beaches in June and July. According to the associations of the operators of these beaches, the number of vacationers decreased by 25 to 30 percent compared to last year, writes the agency ANSA. The negative numbers are explained by a decrease in the purchasing power of Italians. However, according to the consumer association, the services offered on the beaches have become significantly and unjustifiably more expensive, which discourages many people from visiting.
According to the business association Fiba Confesercenti, the number of visitors to paid beaches dropped by 25 to 30 percent in June and July. Other associations also talk about a drop in visitors by roughly a fifth, with the fact that the beaches were fully occupied in the first two summer months only on Sundays.
Consumer associations have a clear idea of the reasons for the drop in attendance. According to them, the offered services are overpriced. For example, the Codacons association pointed out that the prices of services provided on the beaches have increased by almost a third since 2019, according to the data of the Italian statistical office. "After the price increase due to the pandemic and the increase in energy prices, the prices have not decreased, although the reasons for their increase have passed," believes the chairman of the consumer association Assoutenti Gabriele Melluso. According to data from this organization, renting one parasol and two sunbeds per day costs an average of 32 euros. However, prices vary greatly depending on the location and type of equipment.
However, beach service operators deny that they have increased their services excessively. According to them, the entire tourism sector has seen a price increase. According to them, the weakened purchasing power of Italian households and economic uncertainty are reflected in the number of visitors. "The real problem is that Italian households are not making ends meet," says Antonio Capacchione, head of the Sib-Confcommercio business association. He strongly denies that overpriced services are to blame for the drop in visitors.
The Italian opposition believes that the decline in customers on paid beaches is related to the "impoverishment of the middle class." According to the opposition Democratic Party, the government should urgently take measures to reduce energy prices and increase wage growth. The opposition Five Star Movement points to the "record profits of the banking sector," which it believes should be taxed more heavily. In 2023, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni tried to impose an extraordinary tax on the banking sector. However, after protests from banks, it amended the measure by including a possibility in the law to avoid paying the tax.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, it is premature and alarming to talk about a crisis in seaside tourism. The Minister, who until recently also operated a luxury paid beach, claims that the habits of tourists are changing, who are increasingly going to the seaside outside the usual summer months. The chairman of the committee for industry and tourism in the Italian Senate, Luca De Carlo from the ruling Brothers of Italy party, points out that there are positive expectations for tourism in mountain locations.
The operators of paid beaches often face criticism that they pay the state only a small fraction of their turnover for beach rental and that they refuse to allow rentals to be awarded in public tenders, which has been foreseen by EU law for many years. According to Riccardo Magi, an MP from the +Europa party, these entrepreneurs are now feeling the "price of their arrogance". On the other hand, business associations are calling on the government to protect the sector from the requirements of the European Union, which is pushing for the announcement of tenders.
However, not all locations are reporting a decline in visitors. According to local business owners, Bibione in the north of the country is showing an increase in customers, but prices are often below the national average. Operators in Sardinia are also satisfied with the summer season.
Czech Press Agency | WT.24
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