Lockdown in my home Country, Italy, has eased and the Government has announced the start of Phase 2 and we getting ready for Phase 3.

Wheres Italians are now allowed travel to neighboring villages, they are still not permitted to cross the border into other Regions let alone the rest of the Country. This will happen on June 3rd when Italy will also reopen (hopefully) the borders to the Schengen members countries.

Will Italians, or more in general the rest of the world population, want to resume national or international travel once borders reopen? How many will jump into their cars or planes? Or is the fear too ingrained and travel as we know it too scary? What if lockdown is reinstated and trips get cancelled? Will travel and health insurance reimburse travellers?

And where will holiday makers choose to stay? Hotels, villa rentals, private boats or will they resort to purchasing a RV?

According to Fedeturismo-Confcommercio, the body which represents the travel industry in Italy, only 20% of Italians will be ready to travel post Covid19 (“LaStampa.it, May 3rd 2020). Italians may choose shorter stay of just a few days and closer to home. Tourism recovery will typically happen locally, with an increased demand for domestic travel and destinations reachable by car.

The EU wants to reopen borders among Schengen members in a few weeks with the aim of boosting tourism, an industry which currently employs over 13,000,000 people in the EU, according to Eurostat. This is good news for those who are still hoping to sunbathe along the French Riviera or sip wine in the Italian countryside.

The authoritative Il Sole 24 Ore paper in Italy reveals that second homes and holiday villas with pools will be the accommodation of choice for those who can or wish to travel once lockdown measures are relaxed (Il Sole 24 Ore, May 12th 2020).

According to the performance marketing agency ByTek, the search for vacation rentals with swimming pols in desirable holiday destinations in Italy has recently peaked exponentially and I can confidently assume this is the case elsewhere in the world.

Luxury holiday villas, such as Le Torri di Bagnara Castles, are in fact in great demand by those craving a home away from home, ample space, contact with nature, total privacy, and the possibility of social distancing with strangers.

Better even, if villas, such as Le Torri di Bagnara Castles,  feature a tourist accommodation license (luxury Agriturismo) and so can offer all kind of professional staff services and guarantee its Guests a superior degree of standards, which include health and safety procedures and systems inside and outside the house, staff training, and adherence to the fiscal policies. Today, after the Covid-19 outbreak, only a licensed holiday home can guarantee you to be operating in compliance with the strict anti-Coronavirus legal standards and procedures imposed by the Italian Law for hosting paying guests.

There has never been a better time to book a villa rental, better if it is licensed.

Yours sincerely,