It got there revolution in tourism, announced by Minister Santanchè in a note at the end of yesterday afternoon’s CDM. A long plan, fruit of a “Industrial vision“To be implemented in close cooperation with the regions.”A revolution that is also taking place through the reform of tourist guides approved today by the Council of Ministers, which will last more than ten years and is the result of a fruitful and effective consultation of interested parties – said Santanchè last night – A great satisfaction for a key profession in the sector that deserves to be defended from abusers“.

Santanchè refers to the Strategic Plan 2023-2027, says the press release from Palazzo Chigi:

The document formalizes the sector’s industrial vision, based on objectives, timeline and measurement of results, and unfolds along five strategic pillars: Governance, Innovation, Quality and Inclusion, Tourism Education and Careers, Sustainability. The methodology for the implementation of the Strategic Tourism Plan revolves around three fundamental elements: the role of the Regions within the framework of a permanent and shared model of management and supervision between the State and the Region; the role of the Tourism Digital Hub, ie the multi-channel web platform dedicated to the integrated and unified management of the entire national offer of tourist accommodation; the role of communication, from a participatory point of view and shared with stakeholders. Also, a local listening system will be activated to collect the projects coming from the local reality.

In addition to this plan, a bill was passed to introduce it the job of tour guide. The aim is to create a professional code, as it exists for many other categories of workers, in order to ensure a standard of homogeneity throughout the national territory. The measure includes:

• Passing a national qualification test as a prerequisite for practicing the profession of guide, which is announced by the Ministry of Tourism at least once a year and consists of a written, an oral and a technical-practical test;
• the creation of a national list of tourist guides whose registration is a necessary condition for the exercise of the activity as a tourist guide (with the exception of those who practice the profession temporarily and occasionally or carry out extraordinary and free visits). at sites that are not considered cultural institutes and places open to the public);
• the assignment by Istat of a specific Ateco code to establish a specific classification of the activities pertaining to the profession of tourist guide;
• the possibility for guides to obtain further thematic and territorial specializations and the obligation for professional development;
• the sanctions to be applied in case of abusive practice and the use of persons not included in the national list to carry out guided tours.

The same CDM also gave the go-ahead for the implementing regulation on the “Mapping and transparency of public goods concession regimes“: le bathing concessions. It was a very long process considering that the delegation was first approved by the Draghi government. Chigi explains again:

In order to promote the greatest possible publicity and transparency of the main data and information related to the concessions of public goods, the decree provides for the creation of an information system for the identification of the concessions, called SICONBEP, and ensures coordination and interoperability with the other existing information systems on the subject . The survey includes all assets belonging to the state and the non-distributable assets within the meaning of articles 822 et seq. of the Civil Code, which are the subject of deeds, contracts and agreements granting the transfer of the exclusive use of these assets to private or public persons include goods.

In short, no ban for now. We just proceed with a mapping. The deadline has been pushed back to the end of 2024, but Europe has been waiting for twenty years and will soon be knocking on the doors of the Italian government again.