After yesterday’s editorial, which put the media trend about deserted beach clubs into perspective, several reports are coming in with contrary examples – beach clubs that have started the season with increases compared to 2024, mainly thanks to exceptional June results, while waiting for August data as we enter the peak two weeks. Among these reports, the one from Sand D’oro in Scanzano Jonico, Giuseppe Ferrara, stands out because it comes from an interview given to Caltagirone group newspapers and was therefore published, among others, by Il Mattino and Il Messaggero.

Ferrara states that: “If you set prices appropriate to the services offered, attendance doesn’t drop.” And indeed, Sand d’Oro’s season began with 8% increases in May and 12% in June, with a strong presence of foreign tourism even on Basilicata beaches which, compared to other Italian seaside destinations, are certainly more out-of-the-way and difficult to reach. “This proves that if you work well, with prices appropriate to the services offered, there’s no crisis,” reiterated the beach entrepreneur from Lucania.

On the topic of international price comparisons and the fact that services offered in Italy are more expensive than other destinations, Ferrara observed: “When making these comparisons, you also need to consider employee costs and taxation. In Italy, a beach club can’t offer umbrellas at rock-bottom prices because costs are much higher. For example, my 20,000 square meter facility costs 10-15 thousand euros in maintenance alone.”

Finally, responding to Alessandro Gassmann who pointed the finger at overly high prices that would have caused empty beach clubs (an aspect we emphasized yesterday, explaining that the emptiness might only be apparent due to seasonal workers), Ferrara replied: “Blaming beach operators and prices is too simple and misleading. The causes are macroeconomic and concern the cost of living and wages. And this way we risk sending the message that prices here are excessive, when that’s not the case everywhere, potentially driving away foreign tourism and damaging an entire sector and our country’s image.”