The Rome chapter of the Italian Hotels Association (Federalberghi) has expressed satisfaction with data from the Lazio Tourism Board’s Observatory (Ebtl) concerning the recent Ferragosto holiday week. The figures, which cover only the hotel sector, show an increase in arrivals (+4.87%) and overnight stays (+3.93%) in the capital compared to the same period last year.
President Giuseppe Roscioli stated that this positive trend must be supported by the overall growth of Rome’s tourist system. “The city confirms its national and international appeal even in the summer season, a period that until a few years ago was traditionally marked by declining numbers compared to spring,” he affirmed. To maintain this development momentum, Roscioli emphasized that Rome now requires overall growth in terms of quality and legality of the tourist offer. This is seen as particularly critical for combating the numerous pockets of illegal activity still present in the short-term rental sector. He described this as “a battle of civilization” that concerns not only the hotel industry but also impacts pressing social issues, such as the difficulty in finding housing for protected categories like out-of-town students.
“In this context,” Roscioli concluded, “we urge all institutions, both national and local, each within their own competencies, to make every effort to combat and reduce this phenomenon, also with a post-Jubilee vision in mind. Experience teaches us that major events, thanks to their media coverage, lead to even greater tourist flows in the immediately subsequent years. Let us not be caught unprepared in the face of this opportunity, and let us avert the danger of facilities operating outside the margins of the law taking advantage of it.”