A season that began under the banner of rain and continued even worse resulted in between 30 and 50% fewer attendances compared to 2023 for activities linked to weather conditions: bars and restaurants with large outdoor spaces, dehors, ice cream parlors and also activities such as boat rental and taxi boat.
The incidence of bad weather for hotels is lower, although some last-minute cancellations have been reported from Northern Europe and Switzerland and France.
«The hotels have worked well this year too and there is no significant decrease in attendance – explains Luca Leoni for Federalberghi Como – the difference compared to the previous year is that when a room is free for a few days it is not immediately occupied in a few hours but it risks remaining empty. In this last minute request we intercept the different influx that was noticed this year due to the bad weather. To give an example – continues Leoni, owner of the Hotel Du Lac – the terrace in Bellagio recorded a net decline of 50% between April 2024 and April 2023, in parallel bookings for spa services grew, but not in proportionately nor enough to compensate for the losses of outdoor service”.
Not only that: the traditional religious holidays of Ascension and Pentecost fell early, in May, and are moments that bring many flows from Switzerland to the lake.
«The decline in local tourism, the most subject to change bookings based on weather forecasts, has had a greater impact on the structures of the upper lake – added Luca Leoni – the Germans or the Dutch who sometimes choose to spend on the Lario even just one weekend this year they were induced to turn elsewhere.”
The structures that work a lot with this type of customer, traditionally reliable for our areas, have been affected, but also the swimming pools, the beaches, the restaurants with tables outside, the motorboat rentals and all the outdoor activities, as well as the ice cream parlors. penalized by low temperatures.
These are the sectors where the reduction in revenue between April, May and the first ten days of June was estimated at up to 60%, however, always in comparison to a previous season which had been extraordinary for tourist flows, following a growth curve which, however, according to analyses, it has not yet reached the peak of the potential of the Lake Como brand.
«Taxis boats also work a lot on reservation. We have already reserved services for next year. We take care of the transport of people for events and weddings that take place anyway, even in the rain. It’s sorry for people but this system protects against last minute cancellations which certainly occurred, but only had an impact on part of our work” is the comment of Marco Morganti, vice-president of the Lario motorboat consortium.
«Those arriving from France or Switzerland for a trip to the lake and seeing the forecast, choose not to leave and move the date or opt for another destination – continues Morganti – these last minute changes also have a significant impact on the work organization that becomes uncertain. We observe that from the opening of the season to today there have been continuous storms. The most beautiful and longest days are ending without the weather having stabilized. Many then ask us for assurances on safety which certainly never fails. The rain has no contraindications for navigation, but we are certainly sorry for the guests.”
