Can Italy attract tourism again in 2020 after the COVID-19 outbreak?

It’s been exciting recently to experience Italy, hear the news and hear Italians make plans to open their businesses as well as plan their summer vacations. After having been at home for so long, few would like to have a ‘staycation’. At this point, most people already look optimistically at summer, thinking about whether it would be best to go to the sea or to the mountains this August. Furthermore, the government is even considering offering citizens the “Good Holidays“, which are special discounts of 500 euros to help pay for their trips within the Motherland. Everyone is motivated to relaunch Italy; therefore, many entrepreneurs in the restaurant, bar, hotel and vacation industries will be waiting with open arms to travelers from the whole world.

But first things first; Italy has to open up! Stylists, barbershops, sports clubs and other beauty centers prepare by sanitizing everything and ensuring that people keep the correct distance of one meter from each other, even if this means serving only one client at a time. Everything has to be prepared for foreign and Italian tourists who will soon return to the spas to relax in magnificent Italy. These globetrotters are welcome to ask how stores have been sanitized and whether or not they use Type-C UV lights to sterilize their businesses because everyone has the right to be properly informed.

We have already begun to enjoy the delights of Italy once again! A few days ago we visited an excellent ice cream shop called Below zero in Gattico-Veruno. There was a relatively long line of enthusiastic customers ready to order ice cream. Some had already placed their takeout orders online (or over the phone) and had just arrived for quick pickup. Most customers in line outside the store were maintaining proper social distancing and wearing masks. The post-COVID-19 rules have been posted to the right of the entry in case some people haven’t been informed. The rules were as follows: everyone must wear a mask; only one person can enter ice cream shop at once; everyone must keep a meter distance from each other and the ice cream must be consumed away from the store premises.

He not only did Below zero They serve delicious, legendary ice cream cones, but they also had some vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free options, which I opted to gobble up instead of consuming conventional ice cream. Italian frozen it’s always been glorified, but this year’s tourists can expect to find an even wider range of options to leave everyone deliriously satisfied. Not far from traditional Italian ice cream parlors are bakeries and pizzerias that will make visitors euphoric as Italian food abounds. Italians are determined to continue offering delicacies no matter what.

Italy is known for its exquisite designer jewelry. Tourists enjoy buying gold bracelets, rings, as well as handicrafts and handmade sterling silver. I remember how so many tourists took photos of gold trinkets on Ponte Vecchio in Florence when I was young (in the 1980s), and the enthusiasm persists today! A jewelry store proposes to sanitize all of its metal jewelry for each customer who wishes to try on stunning rings, bracelets, or necklaces. A box with type C UV lights could be used to ensure the safety of your customers. Also, they have installed unique partitions that will help customers feel safe and comfortable. Without a doubt, shopping for jewelry will be a pure pleasure this year for vacationers in Italy!

Now it looks like migrant farm workers will be needed to help harvest the new crops. Italy is more welcoming to immigrant workers today than it was a year ago because these immigrants can do the jobs that many younger Italians no longer know how to do. Also, immigrants will finally have the chance to work within the legal economy and get some benefits. Still, many Italians have recently decided to return to agricultural production. Young Italians know that these jobs have deep roots in Italian tradition, as many older Italians entered the agricultural workforce as young as 14. Perhaps the recent increased interest in agriculture has been stimulated by a worldwide return to emphasis on the need for healthy nutrition.

Restaurants and bars are different from how we remember them before COVID-19. Getting a takeaway bag or tray was unthinkable in 2019. In less than two months, between February 21 and May 17, 2020, the Italian mentality about eating out has been rebuilt. From a traditional Italian point of view, eating out means having excellent waiter service, one of the reasons why there are so many schools of “hospitality” in this country. Being served by the best waiters was an essential part of the regular restaurant experience.

I remember the days when I would dine in some excellent restaurants in Rome that served the meals in a specific order. First, there was an aperitif followed by the antipasti (sometimes fried calamari). Then there was the usual first course (classically pasta). The second course consisted of a protein dish such as fish and two vegetable sides or a salad. This was followed by dessert, typically fruit, Tiramisu, profiteroles, or other light sweet. A dim candlelit ambiance enhanced the pleasant experience. This classic diner with excellent staff will continue as long as customers are willing to follow rules about social distancing and use of protective barriers, but if diners prefer, they can settle for takeout.

Having different meals to go will be quite a transformation in a country used to making do when necessary. Some Italians are already planning to order takeout to celebrate their romantic wedding anniversaries. However, if couples are determined to eat in restaurants, this year they will find the tables far apart, unlike in the old days when people ate pizza at a shared table with the locals. Many restaurants have already installed plexiglass in the middle of tables to protect consumers from the coronavirus. One wonders how bottles of wine and baskets of bread will be passed between customers (if there’s plexiglass in the way), but it would make a great excuse to order your wine of choice instead of the side. .

Travelers shouldn’t expect hugs and kisses from overly friendly Italians this summer. Italians keep to themselves these days and practice social distancing as much as they can. Italians weren’t known for distancing themselves a few years ago, quite the opposite in such a friendly nation, which is why almost everyone remains talkative and personable today. Visitors should expect to answer numerous questions about what brings them to Italy, and locals are likely to help if they get lost and need to understand directions at the train station, even if they don’t speak the language. Most Italians tell visitors that their cuisine is the best in the world and that Italian fashion is tops. Of course, thousands of tourists yearn to visit Italy and genuinely appreciate all that Italy has to offer: art, culture, music, cuisine, and the get-up-and-go attitude.