Giuridico e Amministrativo

🏠 Sicily joins Abruzzo, Calabria, Lombardy, Marche, Puglia, and Veneto in the experimental phase of the National Database for Accommodation Facilities and short-term rentals for tourism purposes. The Ministry of Tourism's website indicates updates on service activation will be published in the coming weeks, aiming to gradually cover the entire national territory of Italy. During the trial phase, no penalties are imposed for compliance with the National Identification Code (CIN) requirements.

🏖 The European Court of Justice ruled that non-removable structures built on beaches can be acquired for free by the Italian State at the end of a concession, siding with the Italian State over Società Italiana Imprese Balneari (SIIB) operating in Rosignano Marittimo. This ruling, reported by Sole 24Ore, does not restrict the freedom of establishment and affects all businesses considering the economic viability of applying for beach concessions, knowing they could lose their investments at concession's end. National judges must comply with this binding decision.

🛫 Air France-KLM received approval from the European Commission for state aid received during the Covid period, despite Ryanair's double appeal. The €10.4 billion funding was deemed not anti-competitive, confirming Brussels' initial 2020 ruling. This follows Lufthansa's setback, where the Commission reopened an investigation into their state aid.

✈ Offers for the territorial continuity in Sardinia were opened, revealing no bids for Alghero Airport. ITA Airways and Aeroitalia will compete for routes to Linate and Fiumicino from Olbia and Cagliari, with Volotea joining only for Olbia Fiumicino. Transport Minister Barbara Manca expressed concern over Alghero's situation, aiming to ensure continuity until October 2025.

📍 Key facts from the article: Starting tomorrow, only licensed tour guides are allowed to conduct guided tours. Non-licensed individuals face fines ranging from €3,000 to €12,000 if caught practicing illegally. Tourism intermediaries, both online and offline, Italian or foreign, can be fined €5,000 to €15,000 if they do not employ a licensed tour guide. Cultural institutions failing to use a licensed guide or hindering their entry could face the same penalties. Micol Caramello, president of Federagit, has been advocating for this reform for over ten years and now urges municipalities to implement and enforce these new regulations. Local authorities have the necessary tools to combat the issue of unlicensed guides.

📌 The Italian Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, highlighted the government's efforts to regulate short-term rentals. A reform initiated in early June requires all properties used for such rentals to have a National Identification Code (Codice Identificativo Nazionale) and to be included in the Tourism Ministry's database by the end of the year. Penalties for non-compliance include sanctions on online platforms. Over 10,000 codes have been issued in seven leading regions, adding to the existing regional identification codes being converted. The reform aims to protect private property, tourists, and combat unfair competition and illegal rentals.

✈️ Iberia expresses optimism following the European Commission's authorization of Lufthansa's acquisition of Ita Airways. Iberia anticipates a similar approval for the integration of Air Europa into its parent company IAG. To meet Brussels' demands, Iberia has offered to cede up to 52% of Air Europa's routes in 2023, an increase from the initial 40%. The EU has set August 20 as the deadline to decide on the operation, with a possibility of further delay.

The tourist tax in Italy varies by region and type of property, with rates ranging from €3 to €7 per night in Rome, €0.70 to €5 in Venice, and a consistent tax in Milan. Automated software like Chekin simplifies tax calculation and compliance for property managers, integrating with existing systems and enhancing guest experience with transparent communication and efficient operations.

🏖️ Starting July 1, 2024, access to the Sustainable Tourism Fund 2024 is available, covering up to 50% of eligible project expenses, with a minimum amount of 50,000 euros and a maximum of 300,000 euros.

The President of Assomarinas, Roberto Perocchio, expressed satisfaction with the State Council's positive ruling (number 5805-2024) on the appeal filed against the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport regarding an erroneous 25.15% ISTAT index adjustment for maritime concession fees for 2023. The ruling, issued in Rome on July 2, 2024, supports Assomarinas's stance against the improper indexation method that did not follow the legal requirement to average two specific ISTAT indices, leading to potentially unsustainable costs for Italian tourist port companies already affected by a decade of financial crisis from 2010-2020.