Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

TOURISM

How Italy’s beaches are preparing for a very different summer

Beach season is around the corner and all along Italy's vast coastlines, preparations have begun to attract sun-worshippers and their wallets while safeguarding against the lingering coronavirus.

Published: 15 May 2020 17:38 CEST
How Italy's beaches are preparing for a very different summer
Cleaning a deckchair on Jesolo beach near Venice. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

Most beaches throughout the country remain off-limits. Along some stretches of seafront, however, the sight of colourful, carefully spaced parasols and lounge chairs in the sand hint at economic activity waiting anxiously to restart.

On the Adriatic coast, the hotels, restaurants and seaside resorts flanking the beaches are a vital part of the regional economy, as flocks of tourists — both Italian and international — vie for a spot in the sun.

READ ALSO: Why the Italian government might give you up to €500 to go on holiday in Italy

“To speak of beaches is a matter of life or death for the economy,” Luca Zaia, president of the northern region of Veneto, said on Wednesday during a press conference.

Veneto, which includes Venice, is the Italian region that attracts the most tourists, who add €18 billion to the economy each year. About half of that comes from beach activity.

That means that beach hotels are now in high gear, disinfecting chaise lounges, spacing out tables and using technology to help.


Beach cabins in near Savona, in Liguria. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Remote-controlled parasols

Italy's government — well aware of the importance of the tourism sector, which represents 15 percent of the jobs in the country — this week issued a series of rules for beach businesses.

Umbrellas must be placed 4.5 metres apart, common areas such as showers and bars must be sanitised, and disinfecting gel must be provided in heavily trafficked areas.

READ ALSO: 

Most beaches throughout the country remain closed, with regional and local officials having the authority to decide when to open them.

To the east of Venice in Jesolo, dozens of hotels line the beach, Miami Beach style. Here, technology is helping to keep the virus at a distance. Parasols open and close via remote control, bathrooms self-disinfect, and electronic bracelets are used to open lockers and restrooms.


Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

Alessandro Berton, president of the professional union Unionmare Veneto, told AFP that businesses had begun preparations over the past few weeks. Among other efforts, the industry has improved its online booking system to prevent people from congregating near entrances to the beach establishments, he said.

But booking is useless unless hotel operators can anticipate when the tourists will arrive, said Christofer De Zotti, director of the Mondial Hotel.

READ ALSO: When will we be able to travel to Italy again?

“The real turning point will be the opening of the borders,” said De Zotti, pointing out that foreigners make up 60 percent of his clientele.

“It's important to know when they will be allowed to take their vacation in Italy,” he said.

'An awful situation'

In Cesenatico, two hours to the south in the neighbouring region of Emilia-Romagna, all the seaside resorts stretching along the coast are closed and only three hotels out of 310 are open.

But despite the closed shutters, all of them are busy trying to restart as soon as possible.

“Normally I would have opened at the beginning of March,” said Simone Battistoni, whose family has been running the Bagno Milano beach concession since 1927.

Battistoni and his colleague Guido Gargiulo, a 37-year-old former footballer, are currently testing newly installed parasols and deckchairs. “Guido, can you believe it moves me to see these sunshades,” Simone said with a smile.


Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

Both men come to the same conclusion: the new rules will force them to reduce the number of parasols by at least a third, forcing them to take a cut in revenue of the same size. Battistoni said he envisions hiring 70 people this season, far short of the 120 usually employed.

“It's an awful situation,” laments Fiorenzo Presepi, owner of the nearby La Dolce Vita hotel. “Normally I would be full from Sunday. The Giro d'Italia [bike race] was making a stop here and the Germans had been booking for a year and staying for at least a week.”

Similar complaints are heard in Rimini, where the shutters of the exclusive Grand Hotel remain closed. The beaches are empty and only a few surfers take the opportunity to hit the waves, including Marco Vannucci, 62.

“Here, everything revolves around tourism,” he said. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

SHOW COMMENTS