Russian tourists who were the protagonists of the Costa Smeralda, Liguria, Versilia and cities of art, storming the islands of Capri, Ischia and the most exclusive Sicilian destinations, can be seen less and less in Italy due to the conflict in Ukraine. and sanctions imposed by the EU, which also had immediate consequences for the tourism sector, as the number of wealthy people in Russia fell sharply, ANSA reported, citing Rador.

The figures that come 24 hours after the appeal to Brussels of the Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, Estonian colleague Kaia Kallas and Volodymyr Zelensky himself about the ban on the entry of citizens of the Russian Federation to the Schengen zone, and not only the black list.

Thus, the summer of 2022 marks the sudden end of the presence of megayachts in the seas of Italy, which hosted billionaires who owned real floating hotels, but who descended on mega-parties organized for them in the most elegant and famous restaurants.

The collapse is complete in Sardinia, where not only the oligarchs chose to hang out, but also the elite of society, the so-called nouveau riche.

In the north of the island, on the Costa Smeralda and in the south in the village of Forte in Santa Margherita de Pula, arrivals have all but disappeared in recent weeks.

The scenario without Russian tourists is also valid in other parts

The scenario does not change in Liguria and especially in Portofino, a place that has always been loved by the rich of the East.

Tycoon Eduard Khudainatov, the only one who bought the property, Villa Altachiara, which belonged to the Countess Vacca Augusta, has disappeared, and the renovations have stopped.

Even in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Lake Como there are very few luxury villas, even if the missing percentage of Russian tourists was more than compensated by others, especially Americans, with record attendance.

Small numbers have also arrived on the Riviera of the Emilia-Romagna region, where a few wealthy people have arrived who manage to circumvent the bans by stopping in the Baltic republics or Turkey before landing at Emilia-Romagna airports.

The situation is identical from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea. In Versilia, attendance dropped sharply.

Only Russians live in Forte dei Marma, and tourists from Ukraine seem to have not decreased.

The yacht belonging to Roman Abramovich has disappeared

Even in Capri and Ischia this summer they don’t speak Russian. By the sea, in Farallon, the 163-meter mega-yacht Eclypse, owned by Roman Abramovich, moored in Turkey after the EU sanctions, is not anchored like every year, but also the absence of other yachts, such as those of Arzhanov, Melnichenko and Mordashova.

On Green Island, on the contrary, the collapse of Russian tourism ranges from 50% to 90%. In Taormina, a popular destination for many citizens of the Russian Federation, there has been a return of tourism, “but there is a decrease in the number of Russian tourists, clearly related to the war”, as the mayor Mario Bologniari confirmed.

“There was never a very significant presence of Russian tourists here, it’s a presence that is still considered important because they spent more,” the mayor explained.

And if the sea destinations are deserted, even in the cities of art and shopping, then the balance of Russian tourism is mostly negative.

In Rome, the presence of Russians is zero

Venice accounts for 0.5%-0.7% of total arrivals to the lagoon, while Milan has seen a sharp drop in frequency in the designer shopping district, starting with the boutiques on Via Monte Napoleone, as well as in Milan’s fine hotels.

Finally, the presence of Russians in Rome is almost zero. “They were completely absent,” explains Roberto Necci, president of the Federbergi Research Center in the capital. And they were welcome tourists, he adds, “because along with staying at the hotel, they incurred important expenses that contributed to the city’s commerce.”

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