Federalberghi Sud Sardegna, Confindustria Sardegna Meridionale, Confesercenti Sud Sardegna, Extra association, Sintur, Imago Mundi, Cagliari B&B association and Consorzio Cagliari Centro Storico applaud the Municipality of Cagliari for leaving the tourist tax unchanged for 2025 but urge «the need to combat illegal accommodation facilities that operate outside the law, creating unfair competition against those who work in compliance with the rules».
The invitation to the administration is to "intensify controls, ensuring that everyone contributes equally to the system". The trade associations welcome "with interest" the novelty of the creation of a permanent tourist observatory which "represents a fundamental step for monitoring flows and for more effective planning of tourism policies. We share the importance of basing strategies on concrete data, in order to improve the tourist offer and respond to the needs of those who visit and those who live in our city - we read in a joint note - We welcome the administration's commitment to allocate the resources of the tourist tax to priority interventions such as the enhancement of cultural heritage, environmental sustainability and digital and traditional tourism promotion. Taking care of the city, improving urban hygiene services and strengthening the cultural offer are objectives that we fully share and that can contribute to greater competitiveness of the destination".
"However - the note continues - we believe that constant dialogue with operators in the sector is necessary to ensure that the resources collected are effectively used to improve tourist services, enhancing infrastructure, urban decor and promotion of the city, without excessively burdening hoteliers and visitors". The tourist tax - as the associations underline - is not used to plug budget holes but to promote tourism in Cagliari.
(Online Union)
