Sardinia remains a perennial favorite among vacationers: the island is among the summer destinations driving Italy to a new record in visitor numbers, surpassing the 219 million recorded pre-Covid. That's practically a lifetime ago in the tourism economy. June will close with a positive trend everywhere, including in our region. The only (big) downside is transportation: delays and disruptions are marking the start of this season.
The first data
Arrivals from June 1 to 25 grew by nearly 4%, up 3.9% to be precise. This is perfectly in line with the projection calculated by CNA Tourism and Commerce, which estimates that Italy will close out its summer holiday season with 224 million visitors. This surge could generate direct spending of nearly €27 billion. However, the overall impact could exceed €43 billion, reaching as high as €48 billion in the best-case scenario. This is also expected to happen in Sardinia, which is firmly at the top of traveler's lists along with the Amalfi Coast, Salento, Sicily, the Romagna Riviera, Lake Garda, and the Dolomites.
The reactions
"June was a positive one," confirms Paolo Manca, president of Federalberghi Sardegna. "July was slow. But there's no need to worry. Bookings are coming in last-minute." Carlo Amaduzzi, head of Assohotel, also commented on June: "In Ogliastra, things went very well." He noted a clear trend: "The beginning of the month held up thanks to hiking. Ulassai and Baunei in particular were very busy." And as soon as the heat exploded in recent days, "we saw a surge in requests for beach holidays."
Planes
Passengers forced to endure long waits at the island's airports are rightly protesting. Almost everywhere. On Friday, the 9:30 PM Linate-Cagliari flight took off at 12:20 AM. "Aeroitalia," says passenger Alessio Cabua, "denied the food vouchers everyone is entitled to after a two-hour delay. This is territorial continuity in June."
Also on Thursday, two and a half hours were overscheduled on the same 2:30 PM route, which had departed at 5 PM, on a day that was completely unpredictable, with Ryanair's night flights from Cagliari all delayed: fifty minutes to Pisa, an hour and a half to Malpensa, and almost three hours to Bergamo.
