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Italy reopens to int'l tourism, sparking optimism for businesses
CGTN
People visit the Fontana di Trevi in Rome, Italy, May 15, 2021. /Xinhua

People visit the Fontana di Trevi in Rome, Italy, May 15, 2021. /Xinhua

Italy officially opened its borders on Sunday for restriction-free travel for visitors from some countries. While it appeared that few took advantage of the eased travel rules on their first day, businesses in Rome say they are ready.

Many streets, parks and squares in the Italian capital were full of visitors over the weekend at least by the standards of the coronavirus pandemic. But most of those out under Rome's cloudy skies were local.

As of Sunday, travelers from European Union (EU) member states, Britain, and Israel have the right to enter Italy without restrictions if they could show a recent negative coronavirus test, proof of vaccination, or they had recovered from the virus in the last six months.

The rule change gives business owners in Rome optimism about their prospects, in many cases for the first time in months.

"Nobody expected a flood of foreign arrivals the first day, but it will be nice to hear foreign languages in the bar again," Marco Ciocci, manager of a coffee bar with a view of Rome's Colosseum, told Xinhua. "We've all struggled without tourism since last year. This is a welcome change."

Anna Maria Spataro, a clerk in a clothing shop in Rome's Campo Marzio district, agreed.

"I think one of the reasons I got my job was because I speak English, French and German, but I have to admit I have hardly used the languages recently," she said in an interview with Xinhua.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced earlier this month at the Group of 20 Tourism Ministers' meeting that Italy would begin welcoming foreign tourists in mid-May, about a month before the EU's own Digital Green Certificate pass for tourists went into effect. Draghi's decision came as coronavirus indicators such as the infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates improved over the last month.

The move Draghi announced formally went into effect Sunday for visitors from some countries. Travelers from other parts of the world can still enter the country as long as they follow quarantine rules on arrival, and those in the country must obey national health restrictions, such as the 10 p.m. national curfew and seating for bars and restaurants limited to outdoor areas.

That was welcome news for the country's beleaguered tourism sector. Gianfranco Lorenzo, head of research at the Center for Touristic Studies in Florence, predicted during an interview with Xinhua soon after Draghi's announcement that the latest reopening would be the beginning of the end of the pandemic's effects on the sector.

Cristina agreed. "I hope everything will soon go back to the way it was," she said. "But I also want to remember this period when the tourists were all Italians."

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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