Sicily has come up with an exclusive plan to woo tourists as Italy is about to ease its lockdown restrictions from May 4. The Italian island is going to pay half the price of tourists’ flights and a third of their hotel bill. Read on to find out more about the scheme. By Upasana Singh
In a bid to boost the tourism industry, an island in South Italy — Sicily — is encouraging tourists to visit the island. As Italy is gearing up to lift some of its lockdown rules, Sicily’s regional government has prepared a plan that includes paying half the price of tourists’ plane tickets as well as paying for a third of their night stays at a hotel. Free entry to museums and archaeological sites will also be included in the vouchers.
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As the deadly virus has severely impacted the tourism sector, the Sicilian government has decided to allocate a $54 million budget to pay for the scheme. Tourists will be able to avail the vouchers from the island’s tourism website.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several industries around the world are incurring huge losses. Tourism is one of the hardest-hit sectors that has a huge impact on the economies of a number of countries. Sicily’s plan to attract tourists and offer vouchers has come amid efforts to normalise life and reboot the tourism sector.
Despite these incentives, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte urged people to continue to follow social distancing rules even after the lockdown ends. In efforts to keep Coronavirus at bay, it is imperative to maintain precautionary measures or else the contagion might start spreading again.
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In this regard, tourist boards and officials are finding ways to safely resume business and ensure that social distancing continues to be accepted as the norm. Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea is among the first European regions to introduce schemes for tourists as the country prepares to start easing some lockdown measures.
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