Most Of Italy In ‘White Zone’, But Doubts On Foreign Travel Remain

With the beginning of this week, most of Italy is in a “white zone”, the area with the least coronavirus restrictions. The white zone is the last stage after the yellow, orange and red ones (in order of severity), according to national regulations. In order for the white zone to be enacted, a region needs to register less than 50 daily coronavirus cases every 100,000 inhabitants for a period of three weeks.

About 69% of the Italian population (40 million people) are hence now enjoying almost complete freedom from Covid restrictions. The latest regions adding to the list of the white ones are Lombardy, Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Puglia and the Trento province. The white zone entails the following rules: the curfew is lifted (while it remains active between h. 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. in yellow areas), and there are no restrictions with regards to bars and restaurants, which can now welcome clients at their venues, both indoors and outdoors. If sitting indoors, the only limitation is that a maximum of 6 people are allowed at every table. In the white zone, swimming pools, beauty centers, betting places, theme parks and cultural and social centers are also allowed to open again. Private gatherings are allowed, although attendees need to be either vaccinated or have a negative test result since 48 hours. Apart from these, the only restrictions that are still in place are the criterion of a 1 meter distance and the obligation to wear a mask in public places, both indoors and outdoors.

This is how Health Minister Roberto Speranza commented the situation: “Currently, Italy has some of the best figures with regards to contagion levels. This is a promising result which allows us to look ahead with more confidence. We need to insist in this direction and act with caution and in a gradual way. More than ever, today it is essential to maintain the right habits, as not to jeopardize the sacrifices we have made.”

With the Green Pass about to be implemented at the European level and the opening of travel possibilities between countries, Italy is hence looking towards the vacation period with optimism. According to a recent poll by the Italian statistics agency Istat, about 50,1% of Italians plan to travel for the summer holidays. About 33.3% of Italians will remain in their region of residence, while 63.6% will go to a different one. Only 6.2% of them plan to travel abroad. Last year, due to the pandemic, Italy lost €53 billion ($64 billion) on tourism, which accounts for about 13% of the country’s GDP as a sector.

According to statements made by European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen, Europe should open itself up to the United States over the summer, although the Commission’s president did not provide any more details. “The time has come for you to book your holiday in Italy, and of course we cannot wait to welcome you again,” Italian prime minister Mario Draghi said last month to his foreign colleagues during the G20 meeting. Yet, the situation with regards to overseas travel is still uncertain and many are now calling for clearer measures. “In this climate of uncertainty, I believe that Italy should get organized as soon as possible, establishing [sojourn] rules on its soil and communicate them clearly to English-speaking countries and Middle eastern ones, where the majority of the people are now vaccinated,” said to daily Il Sole 24 Ore Luca Finardi, vice-president of the Mandarin Oriental luxury hotels group in Italy. Specifically, hotel owners are asking “to let in the European Green Pass scheme also those coming from those countries. There are some Covid-free flights, but they are already full. Our proposal is to remove quarantine measures for those who possess a valid vaccination certificate, as Spain and France will start doing in the next days,” Finardi reported.

Finally, while it is not yet clear how the situation will develop, it is undoubtedly true that reviving tourism from abroad is essential for the country. According to a recent report by Altagamma, the Foundation gathering the main Italian luxury brands, about 25% of the total expenditure by tourists in the country is made by luxury tourists, who are foreigners by 80%. Furthermore, according to the foundation, the contribution of luxury tourism to the country’s GDP could be even 2-4 times higher, reaching up to potentially €100 billion. In fact, Italy is the most desired destination by luxury tourists, but not the most visited: France comes first, followed by the United Kingdom, and then Italy, which welcomes about 3-4 luxury tourists out of 10.