Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Italy's Tourism Industry Misses American Big Spenders

Sabina Castelfranco

   ROME - Tourists are back in Italy -- a country that a few months ago
   was the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, suffering
   nearly 35,000 deaths.

   European Union borders have re-opened to tourists from a list of
   countries without the need to quarantine. But the United States is not
   on that list -- much to the dismay of businesses in Italy.

   With the tourism industry accounting for 13 percent of Italy's gross
   domestic product, the Italian economy -- already battered by the
   COVID-19 pandemic - is expected to suffer significant losses without
   American tourists who are also the biggest spenders.

   Since the country began reopening its borders June 3, European
   travelers were the first to return and then starting last week, those
   from a number of non-EU nations followed. However, American tourists -
   the second largest group of visitors to Italy after the Germans - are
   still barred from entering the country, except for urgent reasons.
   Today, the few American visitors seen in Italy often have a story to
   tell. Colleen Hewson, a retiree from the U.S. city of Detroit, and her
   husband came in March to visit the ruins at Pompeii only to find it
   closed due to the pandemic. They were caught in Italy's lockdown,
   stayed, and were among the first to reenter the archeological site when
   it reopened at the end of May.
   "We're here on a vacation for our 30th (wedding) anniversary staying at
   an Airbnb (vacation home rental) with a local and he was nice enough to
   accommodate us until the lockdown was over and the ruins have opened,"
   Colleen Hewson said.

.