After the long period of no holidays caused by Covid, we missed the energy boosts. Runaway costs, inflation and uncertainty about future prospects are some of the components that will pay off a little more bitter – indeed, a little more salty – the departures of the Christmas tourist season upon us.
The data presented by a survey carried out on the occasion of the annual summit of professional hoteliers, organized by Albergatore Pro in the presence of over 500 entrepreneurs in the sector called to discuss the state of health of the category, they speak for themselves. Those who leave for a small or short holiday will spend considerably more this year than last year. Exactly, a 13% more than in 2021regarding hotel room prices during the Christmas holiday segment, and a +17% if you look at the entire winter season. An increase even greater than that reported in the last summer season, which had registered a +12% compared to the prices of the previous year. The increase adds up to those of previous years, highlighting an exponential growth in costs for tourists: from 2019 to today, in fact, the hotel room prices have increased by 26%: a considerable percentage, if we also consider the breaks in the sector due to the lockdown. Increases which, perhaps precisely because of the post-Covid euphoria, do not curb the travel desires of Italians, but which can only weigh much more on family budgets. The average daily cost of a room in a 4-star hotel in the mountains with half board treatment, in fact, goes from €386.3 in winter 2021 to €439.5 in 2022.
The causes of the increases
The main cause of the increases, hypothesizes the market survey, seems to be precisely the desire to travel of the Italians. After long months of hiatus, now the desire to leave is such as to pose fewer problems than the figures necessary to do so. The propensity of Italians to spend their savings on travel is therefore one of the components that inflate market figures, according to the law that has always regulated supply and demand. In addition to this, obviously, the increase in the cost of energy materials and the reaction to the inflation phase also have a strong influence.
“The survey, carried out by the agency’s internal observatory, monitored the rates of about 400 hotels located in mountain areas through management software installed in the structures,” he explains. Gian Marco Montanari, managing director of Albergatore Pro – aggregating data anonymously. It emerges that tourism has held up to inflation and Italians have chosen to continue spending on travel despite the high costs. In our opinion, until a few years ago, the Italian user wondered what he could do after saving, while today he wonders what he can put aside once all expenses have been incurred, including those for travel. In this regard, we have gone from an average savings of 10-13% on income in the first 20 years of the millennium to 1.5% in 2022″.
A further problem that afflicts the tourism sector (and the restaurant sector, strongly connected to it) is that of the lack of workers in the structures: 83% of Italian hotels have difficulty finding staff, especially if qualified. As regards the absence of qualified personnel, as complained by 83% of the interviewees, the causes can be identified in the tendency of young people to look for remote, asynchronous and possibly independent jobs.
«Too many activities in the sector still offer unsuitable conditions – concludes Montanari – impacting on the appeal of a sector which, among other things, expects work to be done even on weekends and holidays. The solutions are: offer adequate contractual conditions, create a career plan that can stimulate and give perspectives and an incentive plan that rewards workers according to the results they contribute to obtaining. It is also necessary to turn the spotlight on the intangible advantages of the sector, such as, for example, the possibility of interacting with people of all ages, nationalities, social backgrounds and economic conditions”.
More stories from Vanity Fair that might interest you:
South Tyrol: the most beautiful hotels for mountain holidays
How to spend Christmas at Windsor Castle: Christmas visits to royal residences open
The markets not to be missed for Christmas 2022
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
