(Finance) – “Foreigners are back, and July and August have been sold out. The most important fact is the discovery of holidays in the countryside by Italians, the only positive legacy of the pandemic. The crisis bites hard: bills have quadrupled and management costs have risen considerably, so much so that many holiday farms have preferred to remain closed, but those who have remained open have worked well”. This is the picture drawn by Augusto Congionti, president of Agriturist. The confirmation comes from Ismea data which show not only the massive return of foreigners, but calculate a good 47% more than Italians. L’farmhouse it ranks among the segments of the tourism sector with the greatest growth: from 2.9% to 4% for number of guests and from 3.2% to 4.4% for overnight stays.
According to Agriturist, the desire to be involved in agricultural experiences has increased, as has the desire to switch off and relax in the countryside in contact with nature. pull thefood and wine offer, characterized by an extraordinary variety of local recipes. In the summer, there is a significant growth in the presence of couples and families who have chosen the agritourism also on the basis of the location of the structure and theexperience offer: walks, trekking, horse riding, biking, etc.
“It is urgent to work to curb costs. Guests are paying attention to their wallets, concentrating attendance at the weekend. We are doing what we can to contain prices, but the measures in place have not been able to stop the escalation of raw materials and energy. The shortage of manpower could jeopardize the catering services and valorisation of the typical features of the area, putting the stability of the system at risk. Behind every agritourism there is a business and agriculture – he explains Conjoin – has already paid a very high price for the effects of climatic trends, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the price increases. Many facilities will reopen in the spring. Good results for those who have worked – continues the president of Agriturist – but two weeks are not enough to make ends meet”. From Campania to Veneto, from Liguria to Puglia, many agritourisms are closed; short. Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna are doing well, working on reduced margins. Satisfactory performance in Sicily near the cities, but 30% of the structures are closed and will reopen in the spring. In Tuscany, despite the strong demand, well the 70% of agritourisms remained closed. Now we need to support the sector with measures aimed at containing costs – concludes Congionti – but also invest to enhance the potential of agritourism, within an overall recovery plan for Italian tourism”.