South Tyrol. “Tourism has become the most important industry of this century.” It was 2017 when Marco d’Eramo masterfully underlined the consequences of this particular “industrialization” in his “The selfie of the world” (Feltrinelli). In these seven years, in Alto Adige we have been able to observe the heavy side effects of the “over” version of tourism, as well as the void left by tourists during the pandemic. Are there any middle ground? In times of rampant polarization it is too easy to unleash ideological wars for or against tourism; it would be better to understand the effects, perhaps starting from the observation of reality.
Understanding, for example, that the impact of tourism on the citizens of Corvara is not the same as that on the citizens of Bolzano. To better define the context, we returned to disturb Werner Zanotti, director of Bressanone Turismo, who has been working for years for a different approach to tourism and who recently put down in black and white the main points on which action needs to be taken. To discuss these points, we met him in his office at the Bressanone Turismo headquarters.
Your strategy for the next tourist seasons is divided into several points: mobility, permanence, exclusivity, innovation, sustainability… Which do you prefer to start from?
I would start from a fundamental point, the tourism sector thrives on the provision of services and currently some South Tyrolean restaurants and hotels are unable to reopen due to lack of staff. They are unable to keep up with demand because there is a shortage of workers. It is clear that everything has changed in recent years and we need a task force to deal with this.
What should this task force do?
First of all, to solve the workforce problem and deal with the demographic problem. From this point of view, we need to act quickly and urgently because the effects will be seen in twenty years. The data, the numbers, are brutal. Italy is depopulating, Alto Adige is doing so less quickly, but even in the province of Bolzano the annual number of deaths exceeds that of births. We need different policies to support families and we need a strong strategy based on the Pnnr model which allowed us to face the post-Covid crisis. The problem of demographic decline now affects all of Europe, including Germany.
The context is clear, but there are those who ask that the tourist influx be managed differently, not only because supply is no longer able to respond to demand…
From this point of view I believe that two questions need to be addressed. In Alto Adige we have excellent accommodation facilities and we are now in the third or fourth generation dealing with tourism. We have a know-how enviable. Communication and marketing are now part of our DNA, of our repertoire, but now we need to shift the focus to deal with the management of the living space where tourists arrive. We need to shift the focus to the residents. We need to confront them and understand that the space in which residents and tourists live is often the same and if it is destroyed they will both be damaged. Those involved in tourism must perceive this responsibility for the management of living space.
Wouldn’t it be up to politicians?
This is what I am told, but it also concerns tourism operators. For example, too often we have not been able to adequately communicate the benefits that tourism brings even to those who are not directly involved. In small towns many shops and services would close without the presence of tourists.
Here, from this point of view, different assessments should not be made between large and small cities. Many small tourist towns, both mountain and seaside, have for decades come to life only with the arrival of tourists on whom they also depend economically. In large cities that already live with traffic and rent costs, the situation is very different.
It’s true, but the problem of mobility concerns, for example, the whole of Alto Adige and for this reason a change in strategy is needed. Having said that, the discussion must also be divided between overnight and day tourists. For example, compared to daily newspapers, in Bressanone we record 5 critical days in a year and they almost exclusively concern the long weekend of 8 December and a couple of rainy days during the summer season.
We cannot intervene on the rain, while on the Christmas markets… Precisely with a view to occupying the living space.
Compared to the markets, I can say that in Bressanone we have focused on quality and local products. A general strategy that concerns the entire tourist offer of Bressanone.
Bressanone (photo Venti3)
The differences between city and province also concern overnight stays. While cities are filled with tourist apartments that you enter by typing a code on a keyboard, the offer in the provinces is very different.
An Idm survey revealed that 57% of the tourists interviewed indicated the host as the main reason for choosing Alto Adige as a holiday destination. Many, therefore, come for Maria, Franz or Markus, people who are our best “marketing tool” and must be preserved. It is necessary to support these small structures, acting so that they can continue their work in the coming years. They must be professionalised, helped with bureaucratic procedures and in the management of certifications.
Yes, Alto Adige, compared to other regions not only in Italy, can count on the trust of tourists thanks to these people. People who, however, rarely meet in the city where, on the contrary, more and more apartments are popping up which risk damaging the entire offer and tarnishing the reputation.
Yes, it is a phenomenon that mainly concerns Bolzano and Merano but also affects Bressanone, fortunately in a limited way. Here too there are structures that are not up to par, I met the managers, I raised the problem, but we can’t do much, it is not mandatory to join the Tourist Association which forces you to respect certain criteria. It is up to the Municipalities to verify, but the problem is serious and must be addressed.
Before closing, I would return to the strategic points. One concerns “exclusivity”. Isn’t there a risk that prices will increase further by allowing only the rich to travel? In a context in which the possibility of being able to book holidays for your favorite days, even breaking the week in half, has caused the cost of overnight stays to skyrocket.
I think it should be clarified what I mean. For some places the demand is very high and these places must have the courage to become exclusive by entering a limit. If we want to guarantee the emotion of a view or a walk, we need to protect those moments. Experiencing them elbowing each other among hundreds of other people makes no sense. I believe it needs to be exclusive in this sense, to guarantee those who come to Alto Adige the possibility of fully enjoying certain moments and certain views.
Massimiliano Boschi
Opening image: Werner Zanotti photo (©PhilippSeyr)
