Article Chinese Tourists not coming to Italy

[Pauline]

The Washington Post - As coronavirus travel restrictions keep Chinese tourists at home, a world that has grown dependent on them feels their absence
, By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli
 February 7

Interesting article about the effects of Chinese not traveling to Italy because of coronaviris. Small towns like Bagnoregio that are very popular with Chinese tourists are feeling the lack of tourists.

 

[Alpinista]

Thanks for link to the article (and my apologies for not just posting my note as a response -- I couldn't find the article in searches on the WaPo site and somehow didn't see your post). My wife and I started noticing some years ago that people would appear on Via Fillungo pushing large empty suitcases up the street and then you would see the same people later in the day with much heavier loads heading back the other way. I'm sure that the Italian businesses are going to suffer for a while until this is resolved.

 

[NoSpin]

Interesting that you say Civita di Bagnoregio is popular with Chinese tourists. We were there in mid-December last year and as we were leaving a busload of Chinese were just arriving. We were kind of surprised since this wasn't a typical tourist time, particularly for a somewhat out of the way little town.

Actually I would think many areas for tourists throughout Europe and the US are feeling the pinch. We do normally see many Asians everywhere we travel.

 

[Parigi]

"people would appear on Via Fillungo pushing large empty suitcases up the street and then you would see the same people later in the day with much heavier loads heading back the other way. I'm sure that the Italian businesses are going to suffer for a while until this is resolved."
If I understand, it is not exactly tourism.
I think it is the "parallel retail" phenomenon. People do an insane amount of shopping in major European cities, then they resell the products in China at a umch higher markup. This phenomenon used to touch on the luxury industry, but now the parallel shoppers are mainly buying powder milk, more powder milk, and face masks ! Ifeel very sorry for these shopper-travellers. They are not tourists. They are not touring. They are working.

 

[Parigi]

She is a tourist, and I am frankly not eager for her to return. (Photo found on the internet.)

 

[ellen]

There was an article in one of the Italian papers over the weekend about a Chinese family of tourists being attacked verbally in Rome by a group of teenagers, yelling at them about the virus and to go home.

On trip advisor one poster claimed that Chinese tourists were turned away from one (or possibly more) restaurants in Rome. I have mixed feelings about that one, as a former business owner I can understand not wanting a bunch of people wearing masks sitting in my restaurant. That's not a good look when you're selling food.

Here is one example: Corriere article

There was also an article from Venice basically saying "be careful what you wish for" as they felt deeply the lack of Chinese tourists.

 

[Parigi]

"as a former business owner I can understand not wanting a bunch of people wearing masks sitting in my restaurant. That's not a good look when you're selling food."

These days I do wear a mask when I go to crowded places like department stores and, gulp, crowded restaurants. I don't wear a mask to annoy people or, god forbid, to look unattractive, - I'd rather die ! (And my guess is that every mask-wearer knows he does not look better masked.)
I wear a mask in order to be a responsible citizen. Maybe I am among virus-carriers. Maybe I AM a virus-carrier during the 3-to-9-day invisible incubition period. If I wear a mask, I won't pass on the virus, and I won't bring it home to infect my husband. Never would I have guessed that restaurateurs prefer people to look good and not wear masks.

 

[NoSpin]

Well I have to say if you are wearing a mask to protect others because you may be "a virus-carrier during the 3-to-9-day invisible incubition period", then you should limit your trips into public places to only the most essential trips.

When I have a simple cold I avoid going into public places. I hate being near people sneezing and coughing, particularly in a restaurant. It has happened once in a great while, and we just leave.

 

[Parigi]

"if you are wearing a mask to protect others because you may be "a virus-carrier during the 3-to-9-day invisible incubition period", then you should limit your trips into public places to only the most essential trips."

My point is that during the incupation period a carrier is symptom-less.That means that at this moment I may be a carrier, and you may be a carrier. I don't know and you don't knoow.

 

[NoSpin]

Ah, OK, I see what you mean. I was thinking if a person came from a high risk area and thought they could be infected, then he/she shouldn't even go out in public.

 

[Alpinista]

How do you eat and drink with the mask on? I have read that the virus can live for up to 9 days on inaniminate objects -- no concerns about sharing public seating while out and about? Just curious.

 

[Alpinista]

From a Lucca Facebook site -- shelves in a Lucca COOP as the coronavirus concern grows.