(di Cinzia Conti)
“Summer wind/I go to the seaside, what about you/Don’t wait for me…” sang Max Gazzè and Niccolò Fabi, and that feeling of sun and sea – coupled with the early closure of schools that will send 15 million Italians on holiday in June and favorable weather – has truly arrived with the weekend that previews the hottest season with packed beaches.
“From Romagna to Calabria, from Sicily to Liguria, all beach resorts are open and ready to offer their services. Based on the bookings we are receiving, it looks like our coastlines will be fully booked,” says Antonio Capacchione, newly reconfirmed president of the Italian Union of Beach Operators affiliated with Fipe Confcommercio.
Liguria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Abruzzo, Lazio, Veneto, and Campania are the most popular destinations, with Sicily and Sardinia also doing well. Friuli Venezia Giulia and Molise are growing, with Puglia leading the pack, which just hosted the G7 leaders. An event that – as Minister Daniela Santanchè writes on social media – “showed the world how Italy knows how to host anyone: from the powerful to the everyday tourist. The context may change, but the result remains the same. Culture, food, and natural beauty are daily ingredients for us Italians, but for those who visit, they are part of an enchantment that is impossible to resist.”
“After a long winter and a lost May,” says Capacchione, “there is a great desire for the sea. The weather forecasts look good, so there are all the conditions for the start of the bathing season, which actually coincides with the 2024 tourist season. I want to remind that 60% of tourist demand (both Italian and foreign) is for the sea.”
Unfortunately, May was completely lost due to bad weather, and June started “spotted,” again due to weather conditions. “We are still seeing an increase in foreign visitors, which partly compensates for a decrease in domestic demand caused by the current economic crisis,” explains Capacchione.
“When a tourist destination can combine pristine beaches with a good food and wine tradition,” says the president of Sib, “success is guaranteed, and most importantly, customer loyalty can be counted on. We beach entrepreneurs have known for over 2 centuries how to pamper our customers with the professionalism and expertise that have always distinguished us and that attracts millions of tourists to our beaches every year.”
“The owners of the beach establishments – say the beach operators – despite concerns about their future, are committed to ensuring the excellence services of an efficient and successful model of equipped bathing that the world envies us for. We are well aware that by defending our work, we are defending the country’s interests. Today, it is unthinkable to have Italian seaside resorts without the multiple services provided by beach establishments: from beach libraries to towel services, from beach stretching exercises to fitness classes, from safes with phone charging to big screens to watch the Euros or Olympics.”
In short, as tradition dictates, the sea remains the king of Italian holidays. After all, only Italy in Europe has managed to place three beaches among the top 50 in the world on the ranking of the American website worlds50beaches.com: Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè in Nuoro and Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa. But those who know our 8,000 kilometers of coastline know that this is a serious underestimate.
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