«Reaching Calabria is already an odyssey. Moving from one place to another? We don’t talk about it. For this reason, to implement tourist presences services and connections are needed”. It’s a lucid analysis that di Salvatore Tripaldi, tour operator from Vibo with decades of experience in the tourism sector behind us. In fact, for 22 years, the professional has been working in the promotion of the territory with particular attention to the coastal area included between Zambrone and Capo Vaticano. The “heart” of the coast of the gods which however suffers from some atavistic evils. Among these, the terrible state of the roads, the former state road 522, to which inefficient public transport is added.
The connections
The example provided by the professional leaves little room for interpretation: «Let’s assume that a tourist arrives at Lamezia airport. How will you reach Vibo or the coastal/inland towns? A transfer costs 90 euros, sometimes more than a plane ticket with a low cost airline. Connections by train or bus are very limited. The recent increase in flights? There has been, it is a positive sign, but above all the increases are been about Reggio Calabria». In view of the summer season, train transport is increasing: «Every year we try to increase connections throughout the summer season, then from October, the desert. Yet, if you want to deseasonalize, guaranteeing services even in the low season is essential.”
Tourism to be deseasonalised
Instead, punctually, once the August rush ended, the “flights gradually begin to diminish as do the possibilities of traveling by train”. At this point, “for tourist operators all that remains is to close their doors.” Yet, extending the season would bring benefits to the area and not only to hotels and B&Bs but also to restaurants, shops and cultural sites, workers: «To be able to survive, tourist facilities must be able to remain operational at least six months a year, also to protect employees who otherwise choose jobs other than those in the tourism sector in order to support their families with dignity. Compared to the past – adds Tripaldi – there has been a decisive change of pace. The hospitality in the villages and in the hotels reaches high levels of quality and a lot has been invested in it. But entrepreneurs must be able to have feedback on their investments – As? Through reservations.”
Services
The modernization of the structures, however, is not enough: «Ensuring clean, tidy streets and towns also has important implications on the appreciation or otherwise of the stay. If we think about the former state road 522, it’s a shame. Potholes, weeds, reeds. A jungle. Tourists are shocked when they walk along it.” And then the thorny health issue: «It’s another sore point. Many visitors, especially more mature ones, attach great importance to it the accessibility of health services in holiday destination areas. Unfortunately, the bad reputation our healthcare enjoys is alarming. If we want to aim to increase “elderly” tourist flows, a reflection on the quality of healthcare offered is essential.”
The golden years of the Coast of the Gods
Tripaldi’s reflection also shifts to events and initiatives promoted in the area: «The programming is fragmented, over the years events that attracted large audiences have been lost. Literary but also sporting events that animated the coastal towns. Our area experienced a golden era in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Then historic discos and more were lost. Who doesn’t remember, perhaps with a veil of melancholy, the water park? It was one of the first water parks in southern Italy. Tourists from every corner of Calabria and beyond stopped in Zambrone. Its closure represented a serious loss for the area.”
The tourist district
The future remains to be written: «In recent years we have been witnessing a great commitment from private individuals. The solution for relaunching the sector certainly lies in collaboration between public and private, the creation of tourist districts. As well as the proposition of events and projects not only in the August period but also in autumn and winter in order to spread the tourist presence throughout the entire year, to the benefit of the economic-social health of the entire district”.
