Tourism Businesses in Sardinia Cautiously Approach the Summer

Orosei, Italy—In this coastal town on the island of Sardinia, hotels, restaurants, campground managers, and tour operators have been impatiently awaiting the start of tourist season. As in seashore resorts elsewhere, livelihoods for the year are mostly earned between May and September, when vacationers from around the world arrive to bask in the sun, swim, hike, and gather for meals and festivities.

This year, the coronavirus has cut short that earnings window. Tourist travel to Sardinia resumed on June 3, after an almost three-month lockdown. In Orosei, a popular destination with magnificent beaches, winding streets, and old stone houses, the local businesses that cater to tourists—and employ many of the 8,000 residents—have devised their own strategies to ensure a safe environment and encourage bookings. Among these: social distancing on beaches and in lodgings, in-room dining so guests needn’t congregate for meals, and heightened cleaning measures, including hand-sanitizing stations in lobbies and hallways.