Federalberghi Islands of Sicily launches an appeal to the competent institutions “so that the number of maritime races to and from the minor islands in middle season is enhanced, with particular attention to weekends and holidays”.
“For years – says Christian Del Bono, president of the association – we highlight how the current structure of the connections scheduled for the months of April, May and October is often not enough to guarantee an adequate flow of travelers, both tourists and residents. Our islands live a tourist question that extends well beyond the summer months, and we cannot allow us to lose economic and employment opportunities for lack of adequate transport services ».
For Federalberghi “as also highlighted by other associations, the lack of places available on hydrofoils and ferries in these periods not only damages the tourist industry, but also compromises the right to mobility of the inhabitants of the minor islands, which are often unable to travel for fundamental reasons: medical care, study or access to essential public services now absent on the island territories”.
And he asks “that the races not carried out during the winter months due to the adverse weather conditions are counted and reprogrammed, reinvesting the” spared thousands “precisely in the periods of greatest request”. “It is unacceptable – he concludes – that a few days after the end of the month, many runs are already not bookable. I immediate intervention is needed. The minor islands cannot be abandoned precisely in the moments when they ask to grow and welcome ».