Coronavirus hits Rome's tourism industry

The impact of COVID-19 to the tourism section has cost up to €1.5 billion losses in Rome and the broader region of Lazio, according to Stefano Fiori, President of the tourism section of the union of industries and enterprises, Unindustria.
Fiori asserted that Coronavirus cases in Italy are on the rise with the consequences to the economy of Rome being evident, ranging from the cancellation of about a million events in the region to the cancellation of hotel reservations and trips.
The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Rome restaurants alone are losing €3 million a day while thousands of jobs are at risk. 
Luciano Sbraga, head of the Italian Federation of Public Exercises, Fipe Confcommercio, said that ‘‘We lose at least €3 million a day due to the tourism crisis, not just the Chinese one. There is also an impact to traditional restaurants, because people go out less.’’
The cancellations of arrivals at Rome reached 90% in March, while bookings are down 60% up to June, said Ernesto Mazzi, President of the Association of Tourism Companies Fiavet Lazio.
According to Valter Giammaria, President of the business association Confesercenti Nazionali, today there is a 25-30% drop in trade revenues, while hotels are 30-40% under the seasonal reservations. Moreover, traffic has decreased with the fuel sales falling by 30-35%.
Roma mayor Virginia Raggi expressed her understanding for the alarm raised by the tourism associations, saying that this shouldn’t go unnoticed and that a meeting with stakeholders will be held in the coming days.