Italy will be reopening its borders for travelers and tourists from third countries from mid-May 2021, according to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
According to Draghi, reopening in mid-may will be largely dependent on Italy’s ‘national green pass’ being finished and made ready for use.
“Waiting for the European Certificate … we have a national green pass that will enable people to move from region to region and will be operational by mid-May, so let us not wait until mid-June for the EU pass,” said Draghi, according to Reuters. He continued, “In mid-May tourists can have the Italian pass … so the time has come to book your holidays in Italy.”
This announcement comes in-line with recent new developments made by Italy on the front of getting tourists back into the country. These developments include a ‘Covid-free rail line’ and ‘Covid-free islands.’
These efforts come as a desperate attempt to revitalize the country’s travel and tourism economy, which constitutes 11.8% of Italy’s total gross domestic product. In addition, the sector employs about 12.8% of Italy’s total workforce, making it a huge contributor to both the wealth of country and the employment of Italians.
With the Italian government enforcing some of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, to include the travel and tourism sector as a whole, the country’s economy has taken a massive hit due to the government’s reaction to Covid-19.
The outlook could be positive in the near-to-mid future, however. According to data produced by John Hopkins University, about 11% of Italy’s total population has been vaccinated against Covid-19, and this number is expected to grow exponentially in the near future.
As vaccination rates against Covid-19 increase, so could the likelihood of travel conditions becoming more normalized over time with the easing of travel restrictions.
