Sassari The terminals teeming with trolleys, the non-hotel facilities that put that feeling of winter torpor behind them and the car rental companies under assault. It is the first taste of summer that can be felt in the airports and larger centers of the island for the long weekend between April 25th and May 1st.
Hotels open The president of Federalberghi Sardegna has no doubts about the meaning of this week’s numbers. «It’s a bridge that kicks off the tourist season – he says Paolo Manca –. We had interesting numbers, considering that a good part of the hotels, around 50%, opened when usually in this period the percentage stopped at 20%. So this bridge represents the true departure of the season much more than Easter. Now, gradually and by the end of May, all the facilities will open.”
Sardinian hoteliers expect a summer season that is perhaps even better than the last one. «The forecasts are promising – Manca continues –. There have been many advance bookings and it remains to be understood whether it is an advance solely linked to savings or whether it is an increase in choice for Sardinia. If last minute demand also remains important then there will undoubtedly be an increase in numbers compared to last year.”
Bed and breakfast «I would say that the situation is positive – he explains Maurizio Battelli, founder and CEO of Sardinia Co-Hosting and president of the Extra – association. Surely, this long bridge from April 25th almost to May 1st worked. As far as bookings are concerned, both in the city and also on the coast, we are starting to see a good response. This is true both in northern and southern Sardinia. The booking numbers are satisfactory: we are in fact talking about around 65% occupancy throughout the city of Cagliari and it went very well in Alghero too.” The typical tourist at the end of April is first of all the Italian who, with a handful of holidays placed on strategic days, has guaranteed himself a micro-holiday of a week. But among the presences registered in the accommodation facilities, in reality the majority are foreigners. «Yes – continues Battelli – that’s how it is. The start of flights from European capitals was felt immediately. This long weekend is the first taste of the season’s data, also because at Easter the numbers were almost nil. As regards the summer, the forecasts we have in hand today are in line with those of last year, and therefore I would say that what awaits us should be a positive season.”
Many foreigners «In Cagliari, perhaps also due to the bad weather, there wasn’t the full house we expected – he explains Laura Zazzara, the president of the “B&b in Cagliari and Sardinia” association –. From a quick comparison with colleagues it emerges that the occupancy rate of bed and breakfasts is around 50%”. And again: «Our hypothesis is that the choice made this year in Cagliari, which usually has high numbers for Sant’Efisio, not to put up the stands has kept tourists away a bit. And the rain forecast for May 1st has certainly influenced bookings. In any case, this long weekend was much better than Easter, where among other things we still had no air connections. It is thanks to the flights that enough foreigners are arriving, especially English, Germans and Dutch. Then there is an increasing number of Americans, who also arrived last year but now they seem to be on the increase.”
And finally a proposal. «The only regret – concludes Zazzara – is always the same: Southern Sardinia is equipped to live on tourism all year round and therefore an offer of winter flights would be needed. In Cagliari, for one, which is a very popular destination for Germans, this winter we didn’t have a flight from Germany. If there is one thing I feel like asking the new regional tourism councilor it is this: let’s start spreading the offer over several months, Cagliari has a beach open all year round. We only need routes to get tourists there.”
