Taormina fears the war effect: 'Cancellations are increasing'

There is concern in the hotel sector of Taormina due to the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran. "The first cancellations of tourist bookings are coming in - says the president of the Taormina Hoteliers Association, Gerardo Schuler - usually we record ten bookings and one cancellation. Now the movement shows ten bookings and the number of cancellations has increased to four. This means that the movement is definitely increasing but it is happening at a slower pace. Cancellations are also being recorded - Schuler continued - from groups, for the month of March and some even for the end of the season. It is a moment of great anticipation and this is a typical reaction in the face of an international crisis. The tourism in the area feels, like all other locations, what is happening globally. Taormina works with 85% of foreign flows and now the hope is for Italians who, for example, can find some available rooms with last-minute deals. There are also customers who need to travel with flights across the ocean. To reach our island, an air corridor that is considered risky must be crossed and is currently blocked. Taormina also works with Americans, who make up 25% of the tourist movement. However, for them, Sicily is too close to the stage of the conflict, so there is a certain fear of arriving in our locations. This is also true for any Australian guests.

Nevertheless, as Schuler has announced several times, in a few weeks Taormina will be fully operational from a tourism perspective. The official start of the season is expected during the Easter holidays. Therefore, we are talking about a contained decline in attendance that we hope can be recovered. Last year, the "Pearl" closed with over one million 400 thousand visitors. This is a figure that we hope can be confirmed despite the many difficulties.