The island of submerged tourism, six out of ten appearances in black

August exceeds the numbers of summer 2019 in Sardinia, and in the meantime, given the bookings, an excellent September is expected. A little of the discontent of the Covid summers seems to have faded, but if (net of the increase in operating costs) hotels and accommodation facilities are satisfied, the thriving underground industry is far more so, which affects the tourism sector for the 61% of the total presences on the Island (data from the latest Crenos report in 2020), almost double compared to 36% in 2019. Six out of ten tourists are therefore not detected by official statistics, ghost presences that end up in second rented homes in black and in the b & bs that work concealed.

Consumption for free

In the national ranking of black hospitality, the island is in first place, followed by Sicily and Calabria (59% of the submerged) and Puglia (58%). Submerged that, beyond the statistical data, it means free consumption of the territory and services, with very heavy costs for municipalities and residents. "And in fact, under these conditions, the damages are greater than the advantages", warns Salvatore Piu, the mayor of Muravera who has been fighting for some time against "tourist pollution".

Suffering purifier

Here the second homes are 4,600. And if so many are in order, the problem of illegal rents is getting heavier, so much so that even basements end up being rented out. "A serious problem because one wonders why, with 4,600 second homes, wastewater for 60 thousand people arrives". The point is that, "we have a tested treatment plant for 35 thousand people, it is clear that the booster pumps along the coast are suffering, with the risk that something overflows".

The control firm

In Villasimius there are 4 thousand second homes, impossible to monitor them all so much ends up in the underground, including the tourist tax due to the Municipality. For this reason, the municipal administration has decided to contract out the control service to an external company. "At the beginning of September we hope to find the necessary economic resources", explains the mayor Gianluca Dessì. "To date we have monitored 580 homes, just for our strength, but the houses to be checked are precisely 4 thousand".

The weight of the squatters

Fausto Mura, president of Federalberghi Sud Sardegna, looks at the two sides of the coin. «August has exceeded the numbers of 2019, an excellent September is expected, we are hopeful for October and a small piece of November. The problem, however, is that we fail to know what happens to the tourists ». Most of which, once set foot in Sardinia, disappear from official reception radars. "The black market is almost 65% of the entire tourist market, because it is the difference between the passengers who arrive, excluding the Sardinians, and the attendance in hotels and b & bs".

False statistics

Which, he stresses, “has an impact in terms of unfair competition towards structures in order, but it is also detrimental to the Municipalities. If a country goes from 3 thousand to 30 thousand inhabitants, it must know where these guests are, given that costs must be faced on sanitation, water, wastewater, roads and safety ».

(Unioneonline)