NAPLES, Italy, June 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intesa Sanpaolo presented today in Naples new measures dedicated to the development of the tourism industry, vital for the Italian and in particular the southern Italian economy, to support the growth of businesses in the sector and seize the opportunities provided by the NRRP and ministerial initiatives. The bank is making €10 billion of new credit available, of which €3 billion is earmarked for businesses in southern Italy, in addition to the more than €7 billion already allocated to companies in the sector since the pandemic to date. The initiative aims to encourage new investments and strengthen the ecological transition of hospitality businesses along three key axes: upgrading and raising the quality standards of facilities, environmental sustainability of supply through the renovation of facilities and services, and digitisation of the service model.

“The investment is aimed in particular at upgrading the facilities in terms of quality, but we also aim to increase their size in terms of beds,” said Stefano Barrese, head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo. “We know”, Barrese continued, “that integrated tourism is the element that creates the greatest impact from a growth perspective. In addition, we want to facilitate investment in digital and environmental redevelopment. We need healthy competition with northern Italy. There are certainly great opportunities in a sector where we have a lot to teach,” he concluded.  

Anna Roscio, head of the Corporate Sales & Marketing Department at Intesa Sanpaolo, said: 'Today we are launching a new initiative for tourism at a national level, with a particular focus on the South, which aims to support businesses in the sector in their efforts to achieve ecological transition and sustainability'. 'We intend to make available to entrepreneurs,” she pointed out, “lines of financing on favourable terms that can be used for hotel upgrading. We believe that the consumer trend is pointing towards a greater focus on quality in hospitality, opting for hotels that have already addressed the issue of sustainability, and financing can be the driving force behind this transformation.”

On the subject of SEZs, Giuseppe Nargi, Regional Director of Campania, Calabria and Sicily at Intesa Sanpaolo, commented: “Since 2017 we have been supporting the SEZs, which are finally an operational reality. In Campania, the commissioners are operating very well, and we can now start to see several dozen interventions that translate into new investments, new jobs, redevelopment of industrial areas and, above all, development.”

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