“Vacation bonus” of 500 euros | Nachrichten.at

To promote tourism after the corresponding restrictions in the corona crisis have ended, the Italian government is planning a “vacation bonus” of EUR 500 as part of a € 55 billion aid package.

In doing so, it wants to support families with children and lower incomes and at the same time help to restart tourism in Italy. Families with an annual income of up to 35,000 euros should benefit from the bonus. You can use it between July 1 and December 31, 2020.

Italian tourism anticipates a catastrophic 2020 due to the corona crisis. The industry estimated the possible losses at 120 billion euros. The tourism industry expects 30 million fewer overnight stays in the period from March to the end of May. The effects of the crisis are also particularly negative for the catering and retail sectors.

The Italian hoteliers association Federalberghi raises the alarm. 95 percent of the hotels in Italy have been closed since the end of February. According to Bernabo Bocca, president of the association with 27,000 members, domestic tourism can only partially compensate for the loss of foreign visitors. Italian guests made up 50 percent of all overnight stays in 2019, but they only generated 30 percent of hotel sales.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has at least given his compatriots hope for a summer vacation on the beach. “This summer we will not spend on the balcony and the beauty of Italy will not remain in quarantine. We can go to the sea, to the mountains, to enjoy our cities,” Conte told the newspaper “Corriere della Sera”. He didn’t say whether tourists could come from abroad. At the moment the Italians are not allowed to travel from one region to another – unless there are good reasons. It is not yet clear when exactly people can travel again, said Conte. “We are waiting for the epidemiological framework to be developed to provide accurate data and planning.”