The “high” Easter, which this year will fall after mid-April, the pleasant climate and a series of attractive events, make Sardinia one of the most popular destinations for European and Italian tourists.
According to flight and accommodation search engines, the cities of Olbia and Cagliari are particularly popular.
The southern capital is ranked tenth among the French, eleventh among the Portuguese, thirteenth among the Dutch and Spanish and fourteenth among British tourists.
In addition to the archaeological and cultural attractions, the naturalistic beauties and the good quality of the accommodation facilities, the attention of foreigners is captured by a succulent and varied gastronomic offer. A confirmation of this trend and of the preparations for the welcome also comes from some operators of the agri-food market of Sardinia who for many years have supplied various hotels on the island.
“It is a bit of a gamble or perhaps a bet that has been undertaken by some of our clients for over twenty years in the areas of Costa Rei, Villasimius, Sassari and Olbia, who this year - explains Efisia Cocco, owner of Coro & Bio - are opening their doors earlier than usual for Easter. My husband Nino and I started our business in 1973, supplying fruit and vegetables to the Navy, the Army and the Air Force. Today our business has changed a lot - continues the entrepreneur - we also serve canteens and hospitals and we are adapting to market changes. Small shopkeepers have almost disappeared and customers are very demanding. Hotels are having more and more difficulty finding qualified staff, even in the kitchen, and they want vegetables already prepared. In fact, they have asked me if they can buy the fourth range (fresh products, washed, packaged in protective packaging, ready to be consumed - ed.).
Operator Alessandro Ciaravolo is also optimistic about the arrival of tourists and is confident about the increase in sales.
“The favorable weather forecast and the attractions of the island are a sure draw for tourists. At Christmas we had a surprising demand for summer fruit, especially watermelons and cherries - Ciaravolo highlights - and this trend will probably be repeated for Easter because we are becoming tropicalized and we need colored fruit. We operators have to deal with an uncertain job that depends on natural events but often also on the shortage of manpower. In fact, there are few pickers, almost all of them non-Italians now. So it is not a given to always have all the seasonal products available”
"Now the wait for Easter - says Giorgio Licheri, director of the Sardinia Agri-food Market - is not only a religious moment, but increasingly represents a real economic watershed. In Sardinia it coincides, in fact, with the beginning of the summer season and with a significant recovery in consumption, especially in the fruit and vegetable sector. After winter months marked by less variety and less bright colors on the stalls, the desire for fresh, colorful, tasty products is growing".
"This year - continues Licheri - we arrive at this Easter with prices substantially stable compared to last year. Prices that, it must be said, have now consolidated at higher levels than in the past, after many years in which they were often too low, so much so as to discourage many agricultural businesses. It is hoped that this stability is read as a sign of greater balance between production and distribution"
"At the market - he concludes - we are ready to welcome the growing demand, with an offer of very fresh and quality products, coming not only from our region but also from other areas of the country and from abroad. Our goal remains to guarantee consumers and operators in the sector a wide, traceable, sustainable assortment. We hope that, together with the good weather, negotiations will also heat up: it would be a positive sign for the entire sector".