The health of the tertiary sector in Friuli Venezia Giulia remains good, where the propensity to invest is also growing again. The trend in the sector is mainly driven by the trend of tourism and in particular foreign tourism, if it is true that 71% of entrepreneurs in the sector expect an increase in the presence of foreign tourists. This is what emerges from the quarterly report of the Confcommercio Fvg Observatory, edited by Format Research and presented yesterday at the Udine Region. The survey highlights the good performance of the hospitality industry and business services, while, as noted by the scientific director of Format Pierluigi Ascani, the difficulties of non-food retail, transport and logistics companies remain.
REVENUES GROW
On the turnover side, the fourth quarter of 2023 saw growth and expectations remain stable also for the start of 2024. The employment picture is also stable, while supply prices, which remain high, are of concern. Despite inflationary tensions, the confidence of companies in the tertiary sector remains stable, with better indices than the national trend. The credit indicator also confirms this: if it is true that tensions remain in access to financing, what is comforting is the ability of companies to meet financial needs and above all the data on investments, growing for 35% of the companies interviewed , against 24% in the previous survey and against a national figure which in the tertiary sector stands at 29%.
TOURISM ENGINE
The healthiest sector, within the tertiary sector, is confirmed as tourism: if the most encouraging expectations concern in particular foreign presences, which according to entrepreneurs in the sector will grow by 24% in the next two years, the forecasts are also upwards for Italian tourists (+5%). «The state of grace of tourism is not a surprise – comments the new president of Confcommercio Fvg Gianluca Madriz, in his first outing as regional number one – also demonstrating the promotional work of the Region and the increased quality of the accommodation offer. The region has now become a tourist destination for all months of the year.”
The region
The regional councilor for Productive Activities and Tourism Sergio Emidio Bini also underlined the growth of tourism. «Important numbers – said Bini speaking at the presentation of the report – which are also the result of the effective promotional campaign that we are carrying out inside and outside the regional borders». According to the councilor, “the responses of the entrepreneurial fabric to the regional tenders issued for the creation of new accommodation facilities and for the redevelopment of apartments for tourist use” were also excellent. The tertiary sector accounts for 60% of the employed and almost 62% of the regional GDP, the councilor remarked, also citing the 250 million committed overall in the last 12 months to support production activities and the start of the consolidated text process of trade and tourism, «which will allow 14 laws and 88 regulations to be merged» and of the law on tourist marinas. Attention also to the role of manufacturing: between the end of May and the beginning of June, in fact, the new ten-year industrial development plan for the Region will be presented.
