Italy to lose half of tourism 'presences' in 2020

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 6 - Italy is set to lose half of the 'presences' of tourists due to COVID-19 this year, according to an Istituto Demoskopika survey ANSA published Tuesday.
    Tourist presences will fall 52.5% to 173.5 million and tourist arrivals will be down 51.1% to over 48 million, the survey said.
    The survey was based on figures from the first eight months of the year.
    It said the picture will not change much in the remainder of the year.
    Municipal takings from a stay tax have plummeted by over 211 million euros, the survey said.
    Tourist spending is 16 billion euros down with almost half, equal to 7.2 billion, concentrated in Veneto, Tuscany and Lombardy which have an internationalisation rate of well over 50%.
    Veneto, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Lazio are the five most hard hit regions, the survey said.
    Demoskopika President Raffaele Rio said "the government must decide whether tourism is really a strategic sector for our economy.
    "It must act...to share with sector stakeholders a single tourism recovery plan laying out objectives, strategies, actions, financial resources and indicators of results.
    "Otherwise the lack of impact of government measures will be compounded by fragmented governance which will delay, in a hindering vicious circle, the recovery of Italian tourism".
    (ANSA).