Fresh from the III International Tourism Forum in Milan, the Director General of the Scuola Italiana di Ospitalità, Giulio Contini, analyzes the new roadmap for the sector. Between proposed reforms and new protections for workers, here is how Italian tourism is preparing to become a fully-fledged strategic industry.

Director Contini, the Milan Forum concluded with a call for “metamorphosis.” What is the first step in transforming tourism into a true industry?

Giulio Contini: The first step is overcoming corporate “nanism” (small-scale fragmentation). Today, 80% of Italian tourism businesses consist of single units; this fragmentation severely limits investment capacity. We must encourage consolidation. The 24-month window being studied with the MEF (Ministry of Economy and Finance) to facilitate generational transitions and asset revaluations is a concrete opportunity for those who decide to scale their business.

You often speak of “industrial dignity” for the sector. What would this concretely change for companies in the field?

Giulio Contini: It means ensuring that tourism receives regulatory and economic protections comparable to those of the manufacturing sector. Only with this paradigm shift can we attract serious investment in assets and modernize the country’s infrastructure. We are no longer just an incidental “service sector,” but a strategic pillar that deserves infrastructure capable of global competition.

A central point of your message concerns labor: how can we make hospitality a proud professional choice rather than just a temporary fallback?

Giulio Contini: We need a “fairness pact.” The proposal to reduce taxation by 10%—with the entirety of those savings destined for employees—is a powerful lever. If the business grows, those who work in it must grow as well. We must fight job insecurity and make the sector attractive to top talent. Working in tourism must be an ambitious career choice of value, not a temporary solution.

In this landscape of major institutional shifts, what is the role of the Scuola Italiana di Ospitalità?

Giulio Contini: We serve as the bridge between these institutional directives and the operational reality. There can be no dimensional or industrial growth without a solid foundation of skills and elite training. Our task is to provide the excellence in education necessary to lead this metamorphosis. We are ready to play our part in building the future of hospitality day by day.