Italy's south is missing the tourist boat
OCCASIONALLY, German tourists stop at the museum and archaeological site at Locri Epizefiri in Calabria, one of the most important ancient Greek settlements by the Ionian Sea. But most of the time, foreign tourists pass by Italy's deep south, to the consternation of local businesses and governments.
Italy's mezzogiorno, as the country's south is known, is far away and hard to reach. But sadly it does not have the accompanying advantage of being less spoilt than other parts of Europe. In a recent report on the south's economy, Svimez, a think-tank which specialises in southern issues, notes that tourism there suffers all the nuisance of intensive development seen in other Mediterranean countries, but without the benefits. There are few concrete monsters, but coasts have been ruined by unregulated ribbon development, which puts off tourists. Elsewhere, at least, says Svimez, mega-structures attracted foreign capital and created real industries.
There are bright spots. Some stretches of coast, like the few kilometres of citrus groves and clear sea around Cape Spartivento in southern Calabria, are unspoilt. So are the Amalfi riviera, Capri and Ischia in Campania, although these get crowded. Naples and Pompeii have been favourites since the 18th century. Baroque Palermo and Sicily's Greek temples at Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento are increasingly popular. Indeed, Campania and Sicily together attract more than one half of foreign visitors to the south. But the tourism in the mezzogiorno is feeble. Less than one third of the 17m or so people who visit each year are foreigners, compared with a half of visitors to central and northern Italy. Svimez's report says that the south earned $4.2 billion from foreign tourists in 2003, compared with $10.8 billion for Greece, $10.6 billion for Turkey and $30.5 billion for Spain.
Closing the gap will be hard. Local authorities have promoted the south in a fragmented and half-hearted way, and politicians have failed to protect the environment. Infrastructure is inadequate--and not just roads and railways; water in the centre of Reggio Calabria, Calabria's largest city, is brackish and unsuitable even for washing. Svimez warns that competition for foreign tourists will get more intense, and not only from Italy's Mediterranean neighbours. Increasingly the mezzogiorno is fighting for trade with more distant destinations that tempt visitors with not only sun and sand, but exoticism, too.
Economist
Italy's mezzogiorno, as the country's south is known, is far away and hard to reach. But sadly it does not have the accompanying advantage of being less spoilt than other parts of Europe. In a recent report on the south's economy, Svimez, a think-tank which specialises in southern issues, notes that tourism there suffers all the nuisance of intensive development seen in other Mediterranean countries, but without the benefits. There are few concrete monsters, but coasts have been ruined by unregulated ribbon development, which puts off tourists. Elsewhere, at least, says Svimez, mega-structures attracted foreign capital and created real industries.
There are bright spots. Some stretches of coast, like the few kilometres of citrus groves and clear sea around Cape Spartivento in southern Calabria, are unspoilt. So are the Amalfi riviera, Capri and Ischia in Campania, although these get crowded. Naples and Pompeii have been favourites since the 18th century. Baroque Palermo and Sicily's Greek temples at Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento are increasingly popular. Indeed, Campania and Sicily together attract more than one half of foreign visitors to the south. But the tourism in the mezzogiorno is feeble. Less than one third of the 17m or so people who visit each year are foreigners, compared with a half of visitors to central and northern Italy. Svimez's report says that the south earned $4.2 billion from foreign tourists in 2003, compared with $10.8 billion for Greece, $10.6 billion for Turkey and $30.5 billion for Spain.
Closing the gap will be hard. Local authorities have promoted the south in a fragmented and half-hearted way, and politicians have failed to protect the environment. Infrastructure is inadequate--and not just roads and railways; water in the centre of Reggio Calabria, Calabria's largest city, is brackish and unsuitable even for washing. Svimez warns that competition for foreign tourists will get more intense, and not only from Italy's Mediterranean neighbours. Increasingly the mezzogiorno is fighting for trade with more distant destinations that tempt visitors with not only sun and sand, but exoticism, too.
Economist
posted by Eddy Brown at 2:34 PM
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