Giuridico e Amministrativo

💰 Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, addresses the controversy regarding changes in the tourist tax. Council of Ministers to discuss new regulations on August 7. All municipalities could apply the tax, potentially up to €25 per night depending on hotel cost. Hotel associations express concern over potential loss of international competitiveness. Discussions with industry stakeholders to continue in September.

🏖 Gabriele Burgio, President of Alpitour World, targets a complete transformation of the company within two years, leveraging technological advancements. In 2024, despite negative factors such as Gaza conflicts, dollar uncertainty, high fuel costs, and inflation, Alpitour sees a shift from the "madness of 2023". With 90% foreign customers in luxury segments, they plan expansions in Colombia's Cartagena and the Dominican Republic, facilitated by a proactive government. A long-term project is underway in Southern Madagascar. Currently, Alpitour's VRetreats brand aims to grow from 8 to 12 hotels, with two more purchases pending.

🚩 Maria Carmela Colaiacovo, president of the Associazione Italiana di Confindustria Alberghi, expresses concern over potential changes to the tourist tax, warning it could harm the competitiveness of businesses and territories. She highlights the risk of misusing funds intended for tourism support and promotion, and fears increased taxation could contradict efforts to distribute tourist flows more evenly. The hospitality sector's vital contribution to Italy's economy, especially with international travelers post-Covid, necessitates careful policy to maintain competitiveness.

💰 Federalberghi opposes the government proposal for nationwide application of the tourist tax, currently limited to provincial capitals, union of municipalities, and tourist towns, with a possible tax increase. The federation highlights the sector's significant contributions to GDP and employment growth, having recently renewed the National Collective Labor Agreement, incurring substantial costs. They recall a recent 40% increase in the maximum tourist tax, from €5 to €7 per night per person, and suggest creating a national fund to permanently support the refurbishment of tourism businesses, funded by a portion of the tourist tax.

💸 On July 19, Delta Air Lines faced a global IT systems outage causing massive disruptions to air traffic, with a potential cost of $500 million. CEO Ed Bastian disclosed that the economic damage from flight cancellations, which persisted for days due to the CrowStrike bug, amounted to "tens of millions of dollars a day" for refunds and hotels. Over 5,000 flights were cancelled over a five-day period, exacerbating the situation with additional staff scheduling issues. The company now handles thousands of compensation claims.

🛄 Over 36 million bags were lost or damaged last year. In June alone, requests for insurance policies for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage increased by 10% year-on-year, according to Facile.it. These policies often exclude items like smartphones, tablets, PCs, and cameras, and certainly don’t cover cash, checks, or art objects. Most require a 12-hour delay from the scheduled arrival time to claim expenses for essential items. Policies never cover self-inflicted damage or unattended items, and compensation may be reduced by any amount received from the carrier.

🏠 FRI-Tur deadline extended to 12 September for applications, targeting medium to large investments between €500,000 and €10 million, focused on upgrading hospitality services and facilities with digitalization and environmental sustainability. Projects must be completed by 31 December 2025. Total funding is €780 million, with €180 million for direct expense contribution and €600 million for subsidized financing from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. Applications started on 1 July 2024, managed by Invitalia and promoted by the Ministry of Tourism.

💰 From July 1 to August 31 and December 1 to December 31, Italy's tax administration suspends certain notifications and automatic checks. The "decreto Adempimenti" establishes two suspension periods. Tax payment deadlines from automated checks, formal checks, and separate taxation are suspended from August 1 to September 4. However, urgent cases may request an exemption from the suspension regime.

💸 The Italian Revenue Agency has halted certain communications and invitations except for urgent cases, effective from today until September 4. The suspension includes terms for certain payments as stated by the "decreto Adempimenti." Two suspension periods are set: August 1-31 and December 1-31, during which automated control communications, formal control notices, and separate tax income notifications cannot be sent. Payment terms of 30 days for automated and formal control amounts, as well as for separately taxed incomes, are also suspended from August 1 to September 4. Transmission terms for documents and information are on hold during the same period, excluding those related to access, inspection, and VAT refund procedures.

🛈 From September, the EU will reinstate a 100 ml limit for liquids, creams, and gels in hand luggage for air travel. Malpensa, Linate, and Fiumicino airports, which had recently implemented new scanners allowing for the verification of liquids, will be affected. Olivier Jankovec, director general of Aci Europe, expressed concerns about the impact on airports that adopted the new technology, both operationally and financially.