Tourism, businesses in Veneto:“Climate change costs money and changes holidays”

The expert recommends:"We need to change our approach, green pays"

VENICE – In Veneto for more than seven out of 10 companies (75%) climate change is having effects in the destination they operate in and on their business, especially due to the increase in management costs (energy, food, and more).A smaller but still impactful effect is also detected for the variation in tourist seasonality encountered by 28.5% of companies and the greater risk of exposure to extreme events (storms, drought, fires) for 19.4%.There is also 17.1% who did not 'noise' anything:does not yet detect any impact on its business as a result of climate change, while lower percentages already perceive some problems: 7.5% have difficulties in supplying resources (energy, water) and 6.3% feel an increase in competition between destinations.The percentages relating to the impoverishment of the main resource (eutrophication of water, deforestation, low snowfall) and the chaos in communication (on impacts, risks, services) are negligible.In all of this, the climate seems not to have yet influenced the seasonality of tourist presences.In fact, the majority of companies have not seen any changes in tourist seasonality in 2023. While 40% declared that there had been an extension of the summer season. Few businesses experience an early summer season or a drop in attendance in August.It was discussed today at Veneto Tourism Day “The climate has changed, you change too”, organized by Unioncamere Veneto, Isnart, the Region and the Chambers of Commerce.“This scenario requires flexibility and a change of approach in tourism services,” warned territorial marketing expert Marco Girolami.

In practice, now “the ability to manage changes to durations, distances, activities, schedules, quotas and the risk of cancellations, to study agile promotions to maximize positive periods and to give value to resources such as water.Also because 75% of Millennials/Gen Y are willing to change purchasing strategies to recognize companies' efforts from an environmental point of view.Destinations and businesses will have to push towards product and service innovations to remain competitive,” warned Girolami.In Veneto, four out of 10 companies focus their offer on cultural tourism, 30% specialize in sports tourism and one in 10 focuses on slow tourism in contact with nature.As for innovations, over half of the companies (51.2%) focus on efficiency, energy saving and reduction of environmental impact for the next three years, 34.8% on additional services to their offer.Regarding the critical success factors, 75.6% of companies believe in the importance of growing international customers, 68.7% focus on green or sustainable services, for 62.7% a company with qualified personnel is a winner and aims to strengthen collaboration and networks with other companies, while for 58.2% it would be decisive to invest in new software and IT resources.“In Veneto there are 45,000 tourism businesses, 10% of the total.We have decided to focus attention on the topic of climate change - comments the president of Unioncamere del Veneto Mario Pozza - whose effects are now evident and capable of influencing the tourist offer. Tourist flows are both the victim of an increasingly violent and unpredictable climate but also a contributory cause of climate change and its impacts, especially in the most fragile destinations."