ear partners of the International Web Conference on The Legal Impacts of the COVID-19 in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry: As Deputy Rector for Sustainability and President of the Degree Course in Tourism Sciences of the University of Milan-Bicocca, I am very honoured to contribute to this significant Conference. As you know, Italy is one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in its northern and central regions. Since the epidemic appeared in our country, 176,000 people have been infected and 24,000 people have died. Although at the beginning concentrated in the regions of northern Italy, especially in Lombardy, the virus spread quickly throughout Italy. The problem is that Lombardy is the most industrialised region in Italy, which contributes to more than a fifth of the gross domestic product. Over the nine months before the crisis, the region’s exchange with China was over 13 billion, out of the total of 34 billion. The import alone is worth about 10 billion out of the 24 at the national level (41%) and exports 3 billion out of 9 (33%). The consequences of the crisis on the Italian economy will be very strong, although with a different intensity according to the various scenarios (basic and pessimistic). In both scenarios, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, accommodations and air transport will record the worst performances. According to many sources, tourism, travel, airlines and retail will be the sectors most hit by the crisis on both liquidity and profitability. In 2020, the coronavirus emergency could burn 18 billion tourist spending, 9.2 billion for the decrease in incoming and 8.8 billion for the cancellation of holidays in Italy by Italian people. The drop in total consumption of goods and services would be a consequence of the fall of 29 million arrivals, which, in turn, would generate 143 million fewer presences, with a decrease of 22% and 34%, respectively, compared to 2019. According to a survey carried out by the Demoskopika Institute on 11 March, on a representative sample of over a thousand Italians, at least 14 million citizens would have already decided not to go on holiday in July and August. The incidence of the level of reduction of tourist spending is expected to be very D
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