CNN: This is why many Italians are abandoning their country for vacation and choosing Albania
2023-08-19 15:15:55
TiranaPost
Italy has been crossed this summer in the media and social networks regarding crazy prices and bills in bars, restaurants, or beaches.
Even CNN has recently devoted an article to the absurdity of many bills such as the one where just to cut a sandwich in half a couple of vacationers paid 2.5 euros more on the shores of Lake Como, or another case in the Roman city of Ostia where a mother of she was charged 2 euros just for asking to heat her baby's milk in the microwave.
"The summer of 2023 will be remembered as one of the most expensive in history after a series of price scandals in cafes and restaurants that affected foreign tourists and Italians," writes CNN.
Among the crazy prices are also mentioned bills such as 60 euros for 2 coffees in Sardinia, 2 euros for an empty plate in Portofino or 10 cents only for a sprinkle of cocoa in a cappuccino in a bar on Lake Como.
"Prices are around 240% higher than other Mediterranean destinations and this is why many Italians are abandoning their country for their August holidays and choosing coastal countries like Albania and Montenegro instead. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also took a short vacation on the beach in Albania this year, her office confirmed," writes CNN further.
According to the data, only 14 million Italians took their holidays at home this year, or about 30% less than the pre-Covid figures.
The paradox is that despite the reduction in vacation days, Italians have spent 1.2 billion euros more on vacations this year than in 2022.
In Puglia, the daily rental for two sunbeds and an umbrella during the week averages 50 euros and almost double at the weekend, but further north, the price to sit in the first row on a crowded beach can be triple, starting from around 150 euros per day during the week.
"Even Sharm el Sheikh [in Egypt] costs less. That's why so many Italians are going abroad," says Paolo Manca, a hotel operator, adding that to go to a traditional vacation spot like the island of Sardinia, an Italian family now has to pay thousands of euros a day for due to inflated hotel prices and expensive food.
