The president of Bologna Welcome: “Requests from various parts of Europe, we are optimistic. And the Ciclovia del Sole is already attractive ». The Ascom director: “However, the curfew must be moved to midnight”
Some tourists have returned to the city. Mostly Italians, but there are also some foreigners. So much so that in the center of Bologna the outdoor areas are very busy at lunchtime. Like the hotels: some of those open, during the last weekend, registered 50% occupancy of the total. And even beyond. These are the signs of a real, lively recovery. Of course, the pandemic is a sword of Damocles that still hangs on the head of world tourism, and in Bologna no one believes that everything is behind us. But the recent timid cries of recovery in the sector, which in recent days have not been so timid, are bringing a new optimism.
The traders. Ascom follows the restart operation in the first instance. “The anticipation of one month, to May 16, of the introduction of the vaccination pass in Italy – explains Giancarlo Tonelli, general manager of Ascom Bologna – is absolutely positive news. Both because it allows you to put a firm point on the date of the restart of tourism, and because it allows you to recover that gap with regard to Greece and Spain, which had decided to move independently. Now even our operators can plan the work, and whoever reopens can plan ». In addition, of course, there are the repercussions on Bologna. “The signs are already there. Italian tourism has restarted, allowing you to work both with the leisure part, visiting the city of art, and with the business part. For foreigners the signals are more timid, but requests for reservations are starting to arrive from the closest European areas, from Spain to Great Britain, and also from the United States something is moving. In short, the vaccination plan in Italy is also giving results, there are the conditions for an absolutely safe tourism ». Then there are the weekends. «An optimism due to the desire to leave again – continues Tonelli – is combined with the fact that requests and reservations are starting to arrive. At the moment there are still a quarter of hotels closed, but they are considering reopening between this coming and next weekend. We also expect a lot of demand for the Apennines, while in the city it is important that the conditions are created to be able to restart art and culture tourism, with initiatives connected, for example, to the reopening of museums. The restart is the best vaccine: not only health care, but also economic ». And then there is that ‘curfew’. “The term ‘curfew’ is already negative compared to what we want to express. We have always asked that that roof be postponed to midnight, as it is elsewhere “.
Bologna Welcome «We have always been optimistic and on the side of action, that of the vaccination pass is good news, we will see better when they will implement it, meanwhile the recovery seems today better than forecasts – explains the president of Bologna Welcome, Giovanni Trombetti -. In the city, the clock tower and the Asinellis were full over the weekend. And we reopen the House From Friday 21st. The whole city is ready to leave again ». Apennines, there is the Ciclovia del Sole. “One of our flagship products, which unites the territory. In San Giovanni in Persiceto we launch the ‘bed & bike’ at the end of May, cyclists can stay overnight and use the services of San Giovanni and the other eight neighboring municipalities. The Ciclovia del Sole already produces good numbers, for the summer we are naturally optimistic, this novelty allows us to enter international tourism with a new green form “. The number one of Bologna Welcome underlines “the excellent collaboration with the metropolitan city”. «Overall – he continues – we register requests from Northern Europe, France, England, Spain. On the hotels we are returning from a weekend that has not been seen for some time: some hotels have gone over 50% occupancy. Flows that give us hope for the future, also considering the excellent work of the airport that has increased the routes between Bologna and the rest of the world “.
Paolo Rosato, Il Resto del Carlino – 6 May 2021
