Italy’s tourist industry struggles to survive – ‘even George Clooney doesn’t come any more’ amid the coronavirus pandemic

With Venice ‘a dead city like Pompeii’, and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk, the coronavirus crisis has taken a heavy toll on tourism in Italy

After its worst recession since the second world war, authorities try to kick-start tourism with launch of ‘Covid-19-free’ Rome-Milan high-speed rail services

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Portofino, an Italian town popular with celebrities and artists, is devoid of visitors. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:20pm, 29 Mar 2021Updated: 6:20pm, 29 Mar 2021

Just over a year into the pandemic, Venice remains a ghost town. Portofino, a colourful playground for the jet set on the Ligurian coast, and Varenna, on the shores of Lake Como, are also deserted.

The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on tourism in Italy, the world’s fifth-most visited destination – and with a third wave now under way, there is no obvious end in sight.

The collapse in the number of visitors to Italy in 2020 was jaw-dropping, with only 25.5 million foreign visitors spending at least one night in the peninsula, versus 65 million in 2019 – a drop of more than 60 per cent. That corresponded to revenue of only €17.45 billion (US$20.6 billion), €26.85 billion less than the previous year, according to new figures from the Bank of Italy.

“The situation is really dramatic and everything must be done to revive a sector so vital for our country,” said the president of the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, Carlo Sangalli.

San Giorgio Square in Varenna, Lake Como. The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on tourism in Italy. Photo: Getty Images

Nearly 100,000 companies in Italy’s tourism sector are at risk of bankruptcy, according to the research institute Demoskopika, with a potential loss of 440,000 jobs.