THE RECOVERY REQUIRES CLEAR THINKING THE ROAD MAP OF
GIORGIO PALMUCCI
PRESIDENT OF ENIT by Letizia Strambi
ENIT Madrid - FITUR fair LGBTQ+ area
Giorgio Palmucci
G
iorgio Palmucci represented the best of Italy, back in the day, when he was “only” a tourism entrepreneur. A person of extraordinary humility, with great attention to others, he seemed to be devoted to satisfying everyone, therefore perfect in the complex position of the President of ENIT, ready to promote and represent our country to the world. An innate elegance and a natural politeness accompanied by a perennial smile make Palmucci a true icon of the Italian that is known abroad. To these qualities he adds an unquestionable desire to work and passion in his profession, and while hampered by the difficulties of the pandemic period, he did not give up.
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The last time we met, we were in front of an audience of travel professionals presenting at the IGLTA Convention. What has changed in this long period of pandemic crisis, and where does ENIT begin its efforts at recovery? Awareness has changed: we have a new way of doing tourism both from a B2B and B2C point of view. On the one hand there is a search for security, for wide spaces in which to be socially distanced, and on the other there is a greater desire to seek each other out and to share. Everything that has happened has influenced daily life, and the way we think about travel, both in the choice of destination and in the way we reach it and experience it. Before one of the most important variables was price, now safety is in first place. We decide “how” to go on vacation in order not to risk a negative experience at the exact moment in which we want to detach ourselves from daily stress. All this calls into question the way tourism operators work, as they are also struggling to come to terms with the measures put in place by various governments that have an enormous impact on hospitality. Italy has been viewed abroad, in this period, in different ways. At first, we seemed to be the only country at risk of Covid, but then our candor and transparency from the very first moment, while the virus was circulating everywhere, was rewarded. Italy distinguished itself by taking the most stringent measures. Fortunately, now the feedback on
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