Italy promises stimulus package to help tourism
![Emila Romagna italy](https://www.tourismnewslive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Emila-Romagna.jpg)
Italy’s latest stimulus package, aimed at helping the economy overcome the coronavirus pandemic, will offer help to the tourism and auto sectors, Reuters reports. Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that such a move was much needed and urgent.
The government has said it will present the measures in an emergency decree in early August.
A source told Reuters this month that slightly less than 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) would be put forward to strengthen current incentives to encourage sales of state-of-the-art combustion engine cars as well as electric and hybrid vehicles.
Gualtieri did not provide any details on Tuesday.
As coronavirus fears continue to ravage Italy’s tourism industry – despite the country’s extraordinary cultural heritage – the government is subsidising some of its citizens to go on holiday in their home country. After becoming the first European country COVID-19 hit hard in early spring, Italy reopened its borders to EU tourists in June. Nevertheless, tourism is still suffering, with revenue shortfall this summer predicted to top 3 billion euros.
In this context, the government is trying to prop up its tourism industry – which represents 13% of the national GDP – sending money to households earning less than 40,000 euros a year as an incentive for them to go on holiday within Italy.