Five million euros to support tourism in the areas affected by Cyclone Harry. This was announced by the Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè at the press conference «Welcome to Southern Italy. Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia: the Wonder does not stop”, presented at the BIT in Milan inside the ENIT pavilion. The meeting was attended, together with the Minister, by the President of the Calabria Region Roberto Occhiuto, the CEO of Enit SpA Ivana Jelinic and the Tourism Councilors of the Sicily Region Elvira Amata and of the Sardinia Region Franco Cuccureddu. Minister Santanchè explained that the resources allocated will also be allocated to targeted promotional actions and activities, with the aim of supporting the next tourist season of the affected regions. During the event it was also announced that, on the occasion of the ITB fair in Berlin, scheduled for 3 to 5 March, the Ministry of Tourism, ENIT SpA and the Regions involved will present specific promotional initiatives to support the destinations affected by the cyclone in January. The actions will be aimed at reassuring tourists, citizens and operators, underlining the presence and closeness of the institutions through targeted, concrete and timely interventions, with the aim of preventing material damage from adding further damage to the image of the territories involved.
The promotional activity will have an international dimension and will aim to reposition the storytelling of the affected destinations, involving content creators globally and organizing dedicated media tours. Attention will be paid in particular to the main reference markets of the three regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Benelux, Spain and Austria. The choice of the Berlin fair was defined as strategic in relation to the German market, considered central for the tourism industry and for the economy of Sicily, Calabria and Sardinia. According to ISTAT 2024 data, Germany is the first international market for Sardinia, with 2.1 million overnight stays, and for Calabria, with half a million overnight stays, and is the second for Sicily, with 1.17 million overnight stays. “In similar circumstances, timing is as fundamental as economic resources”, declared Minister Santanchè, underlining the importance of intervening quickly also on a communication level to protect tourist destinations and to avoid negative effects on the image of the affected territories. “For this reason we will allocate 5 million euros for tourism in the affected regions, to also be invested in ad hoc promotion actions and activities.” Along the same lines, the CEO of ENIT SpA, Ivana Jelinic, reiterated the institution’s commitment to communicating the destinations of Southern Italy abroad, avoiding distortions of reality and promoting a correct and transparent narrative, capable of encouraging tourist flows and supporting local economies during the conference it was finally announced that, on the occasion of Casa Sanremo, in which ENIT SpA will participate during the Italian Song Festival, a promotion space will be dedicated to the regions affected by Cyclone Harry.