The Coordination of United Tourism of the Sorrento Peninsula has written to the Councilor for Tourism of Sorrento to present its proposals to relaunch tourism with the Sorrento model
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[Press release]
The Sorrento Peninsula United Tourism Coordination formed by: ABBAC Sorrento Peninsula, Association of Sorrento Tourist Guides and Escorts, AIR Committee of NCC companies, Committee of NCC Campania employees, FIA Confindustria and FLAICA UNITI CUB wrote to Dr. Alfonso Iaccarino, Councillor for Tourism of the municipality of Sorrento to present their proposals for the planning and definition of the “Sorrento Model”.
How to move in Naples
An age-old problem of the Sorrento Peninsula is that of traffic, therefore a reduction in vehicular traffic is desirable. To this end, it is suggested to reorganize the meeting points for excursions departing from the Sorrento Peninsula.
It is also considered necessary to regulate the transit of heavy vehicles by time slot in order to avoid traffic jams during rush hour when many people go to work and/or to the seaside and/or to accompany their children to school.
It is considered essential to encourage the use of electric vehicles in order to increase the livability of the entire City. At the same time, it will be necessary to install charging stations for electric vehicles.
An additional incentive to improve traffic flow could be an increase in the number of “Campania Express” train services and maritime services to and from the coastal towns of the Gulf of Naples.
In view of a greater tourist movement towards the new Italian capital of culture Procida, it is suggested to increase the current connections and to insert a new direct line to and from Procida.
It is also suggested that traffic police be made available at certain strategic points of the city during certain time slots to improve traffic flow, for example between 7:30 and 9:00.
It is recommended to reorganise the waiting room at the EAV station and the ticket offices at the port and the EAV station.
Zero waste
Today, even more so, we have had the opportunity to ascertain the benefits of a nature free to express itself and of a territory protected from an environmental point of view. This protection cannot ignore an efficient waste collection that tends to the highest percentage of recycling possible.
The “Zero Waste” or “Zero Waste” waste management strategy fits into this perspective and aims to redesign the cyclical life of waste considered not as waste, but as resources to be reused as “secondary raw materials”, contrasting with practices that necessarily involve incineration or landfill processes and tending to cancel or significantly reduce the quantity of waste to be disposed of. The process is based on the resource reuse model present in nature.
There are numerous restaurants and hotels in the city, therefore it is considered appropriate to implement this practice in order to reduce the disposal of waste in landfill and the lowering of related taxes.
Vaccinations and “Covid Free Peninsula”
We learned with enthusiasm about the initiative of the Municipality of Sorrento to become “Covid Free” by July. It is desirable to also involve the other municipalities of the Sorrento Peninsula in order to create a larger “safe” area and be a model for other areas with a high tourist vocation in Italy.
In this regard, in order to speed up the time for the realization of this project, NCC companies and employees make themselves available to transport people to be vaccinated on a voluntary basis.
Tax and bureaucratic benefits
To address the current economic crisis and cushion its blows, our companies need immediate and effective tax relief.
There is a need to implement policies that can incentivize hiring in order to create jobs, regardless of age group, capable of absorbing as many human resources as possible who are left without work and who, if not employed in the tourism supply chain, would not be able to find employment. A good strategy would be to ask the Government for a contribution exemption for all tourism and tourism transport workers from now until at least June 30, 2022.
Furthermore, it is requested to consider the opportunity of not applying the tourist tax and offering free or half-price bus parking.
Sustainable tourism
Sorrento and the entire Sorrento Peninsula are full of nature trails from which you can admire breathtaking views that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
At the same time, Sorrento can boast of numerous sites of interest in the city centre, many of which are closed to the public or inaccessible, which could create new tourist routes.
It is therefore considered appropriate to start various forms of sustainable tourism, environmental recovery and protection of the territory. In this sense, it is considered essential to recover the paths and some sites of notable historical and archaeological interest, to make them more accessible.
We are thinking about the recovery of the staircase that connects the Tonnarella area with the village of Marina Grande, the redevelopment of the Cisternoni di Spasiano, the Bagni della Regina Giovanna and the Villa di Pollio Felice, but also the enhancement of places such as the Porta di Parsano and the reopening of the Bastione di Parsano.
Furthermore, they could open, at certain times of the year and under certain conditions
safety for tenants, the doors of the old buildings so as to make them usable.
Brand Identity
The City needs a unified look that has linearity in everything concerning street furniture and signage.
It is considered appropriate to create a single signage showing the directions of the various commercial activities and places of interest, with the logo of the City of Sorrento at the top.
Furthermore, the existing signage needs to be reviewed because in some cases it reports inaccurate historical information.
Control of illegal structures
After numerous battles, the introduction by the Campania Region of a unique code for non-hotel activities in order to combat illegal activity seems to be on the home straight.
The fight against illegal activities is also considered appropriate in the field of tourist professions such as guides and escorts, as well as strict control over commercial establishments not authorised to sell excursions and similar services.
Collaboration for a control on the "supports"
In a perspective of collaboration between companies and their employees, in the midst of the pandemic and post-pandemic crisis, it is desirable to create a single channel with the institutions for "support".
It is necessary to create, through the exchange of information between the company and the INPS, an information network so that the worker excluded due to lack of work can be reported by the company and, consequently, be rightly supported by the competent bodies until a new hiring.
This work synergy aims to avoid waste of public money and have real control over the situation of the unemployed.
PS, ISTAT and Tour Tax interface
Upon the arrival of a new guest, accommodation facilities are required to communicate their data to three separate bodies:
State Police, ISTAT and Municipality of Sorrento for the tourist tax.
It is considered of fundamental importance in bureaucratic simplification to create a single portal for data entry that will provide for the simultaneous forwarding to the three platforms. In this way, data integrity and exact correspondence will be guaranteed.
Elimination of architectural barriers
It is now a fundamental and necessary requirement to remove any form of architectural barrier for people with reduced or impaired motor and/or sensory skills in order to allow access to common areas, toilets and participation in events.
Info point and tourist information
It is suggested to install information points located in the city's key points (e.g. station, port, etc.), with up-to-date and complete information.
The monitor to be set up at the Port of Sorrento, for example, will have to report the departures and arrivals of hydrofoils with specific location and pier number (as already exist for the ports of Capri and Naples). Furthermore, it is recommended to install shelters to protect from the sun and rain while waiting to board.
An evolution of the Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno e Turismo is considered necessary. Today it no longer makes sense to limit oneself to opening a physical point, but it is considered essential to train the staff in order to update the contents on the official website with events and information that are always up to date. Furthermore, the staff will have to be implemented and trained for the management of social networks in order to share useful contents and images of the Sorrento Peninsula in order to increase the relevance of the Sorrento brand and user involvement.
Marketing is, today, essential and requires dedicated resources.
Endnotes
We firmly believe that the basis for an effective and safe relaunch of tourism in the Sorrento peninsula are necessary: vaccination of the population, the implementation of clear safety protocols and strict controls, in the interest of citizens and tourists.
The undersigned associations offer their availability to contribute further ideas and provide more specific information regarding the ideas illustrated in this document, confirming from now on their availability to collaborate for the creation of the “Sorrento Model”.
ABBAC Sorrento Peninsula – Marcello Coppola
Association of Tourist Guides and Escorts Sorrento – Valeria Salzano AIR Committee for NCC Companies – Roberto D'Angelo
NCC Campania Employees Committee – Gennaro Salamone FIA Confindustria – Fabio Petrella
FLAICA UNITED CUB – Rosario Fiorentino, Giulia Riva and Martina Coppola
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Article published on March 20, 2021 - 12pm
