Italy is increasingly losing market share in the international tourism industry, the National Union of Chambers of Commerce (Unioncamere) said on Friday.
Presenting its research at the annual National Tourism Conference, Unioncamere said that while in 1980 Italy was the top destination in Europe, cornering 9% of the market, in 2007 the country's share fell to 5%, on a par with China and behind both France and Spain.
''The Italian tourist industry is in freefall,'' said Claudio Albonetti, president of the Assoturismo association of tourism-related businesses, blaming the drop on the lack of a coherent national policy for Italy's 20 regions.
But Tourism Undersecretary Michela Brambilla said government plans will boost the industry to contribute an extra 2-3% to Italy's GDP over the next five years.
The national tourist industry currently makes a profit of ten billion euros ''but it could be 20 or even 30'', she said.
''The government has decided that there will be a change of pace. As of today it will step up efforts to make tourism the motor of Italy,'' Brambilla added.
At the forefront of government plans is an ''imminent'' shake-up at the National Tourism Agency (Enit)and a relaunch next month of the Italian hotel classification that attributes star ratings, which Brambilla described as being ''in chaos''.
''But the government can't do this on its own. There needs to be a pact between businesses, the government and the regions to revive the Italian tourist industry,'' she said, adding that only 5% of Italian hotels are currently on the Internet.
Tourist associations at the conference called for a special government plan to help hoteliers in Campania, where Unioncamere says the ongoing trash crisis has seen a 650,000 drop in visitors over the last five months.
In addition to images broadcast worldwide of mountains of rubbish rotting on the region's pavements, hoteliers are concerned Campania will have taken a further knock from the popularity of Roberto Saviano's bestseller Gomorra - an expose' of the Camorra mafia which came out as a film this year.
''Italy is not Gomorra,'' Bernabo' Bocca, president of tourism sector association Confturismo stressed.
''If we 'export' only trash and Camorra we will have trouble getting on our feet again. It's the government's duty to help Campania tourist businesses survive,'' he said.
Brambilla said she would travel to Naples next week for a government initiative to kickstart tourism in the region.
''Naples has helped to tarnish Italy's image but the problems with Italian tourism are above all others, starting with a lack of infrastructure and services,'' she said.
