Barletta, rich in history, culture and traditions that overflow from the streets of the historic center to the seafront and its 8 kilometer long sandy coast, has so much to offer. The choice of things to do and places of interest to visit is wide, including seaside facilities, evening clubs and restaurants, alongside the presence of various B&Bs and holiday homes for accommodation.
The prospects for the 2024 summer season, however, from the point of view of some Barletta operators, are not entirely rosy. “Years ago the phone didn’t stop ringing… this year there is a decrease in requests for room reservations, despite the sold-out in the facility” confess Luca Gentile, owner of the B&B ‘Centro Storico’ in Barletta, and then continues, reflecting on the period of September, when the annual historical re-enactment of the Challenge takes place in Barletta: ”Unfortunately there is a strong lack of attraction and very little clarity in the programming and sponsorship of events… it has never happened to me in 11 years of activity that tourists booked during the Challenge period because they were aware of the very important tradition! They ended up here and with great surprise found themselves catapulted into a medieval environment.”
The restaurateur is also in tune with this trend Bernardo Paccaowner and manager of the Malepeggio restaurant: “We can note a significant drop despite the generous number of tourists who have already arrived. Unfortunately, Barletta is not ready to become a tourist city. In addition to the lack of attractiveness and promotion of events and the area, there is not a total openness to change: perhaps I was among the few traders to agree with the decision to apply the ZTL in the centre. People, whether they are Barletta residents or tourists, need to walk through the streets of the center without a car to be encouraged to enjoy the commercial activities. This is also why it would be fruitful for shops to postpone their closing times.”
There are certainly also positive implications for this hot season that has recently begun: both agree on the general satisfaction of tourists, foreign and Italian, who appreciate and love our historic center, our churches and monuments, the cleanliness and care of the historic center and of the castle gardens, as well as our sea and coast road.
An opinion also comes from the sector of trade associations, from which, however, we register regret for the absence – up to now – of any information relating to the billboard of the Barletta summer. «We have no news other than what we read in the newspapers – he explains Francesco Divenuto, president of Confcommercio Barletta – to date we representatives of the trade associations have not had meetings with the administration and nothing is known about a tender for the summer. At the same time, however, we have already been working for months on initiatives for Christmaswith a project structured well in advance.
It seems to me that a good season of events is on the horizon, but Barletta would also need a structured programme, e.g not just a list of isolated events. We are ready, if the administration deems it appropriate to propose initiatives for the summer (some of which are already “in progress” by our members), in order to also involve the sector of our associated merchants”.
For those who work assiduously in the field of organizing private events, such as the DJ and artistic director of evening clubs Joe Pedico, a period of greater attendance is expected compared to last year. “Our climate, spacious beaches and extensive seafront, the nightlife they manage to attract the whole province, many also come from other areas of Puglia and even from neighboring regions”. And he adds: “Word of mouth and the power of digital communication are very powerful tools whose power must be exploited, we entrepreneurs always do our best our best and we are able to see the results despite everything.” As regards possible improvements, agreeing with the poor presence at a communicative level of the city’s anniversaries and of an interesting plan of events, he adds: “It would be useful to night transport systemwhich allows everyone to return home safely.”
