QUALITALY_125

OCT. NOV. 2021 I OCT/NOV 2021 AT PAGE 1 We’re ready to make a difference! We left each other a few weeks ago with my wish for a restart for the whole tourist sector, with a particular attention to the mountains for which I hoped for a season able to compensate the loss of turnover of the last year, which was spent, as far as the winter activity was concerned (the most fruitful season for them), in total lockdown. Well, here I am holding my breath today, hoping that the forecasts announced by the major research institutes are really as favourable as they seem. There is talk of a winter season that will be the best ever. Pre-Covid numbers are expected, if not bettered (article on page 10). What do we understand, however, is this data that even speaks of overbooking for most of the Italian establishments already in mid-October? That the hospitality sector is still healthy and represents an essential place for most Italians. So what has really changed in recent months? We know what Covid-19 has taken away from us, but we also need to be forward thinking and understand what the pandemic has given to our industry instead. Certainly, the awareness that you can’t grow if you don’t strive, even in our sector, for a healthier and more sustainable working environment, both humanly and economically (see page 6). Without ever forgetting, however, that the real driving force in this sector must be young people and their training. We are reminded of this by Federico Samadem, director of the Professional Hotel Training Institute and the Tourism Management School of the Province of Trento, who explains his training model, which overturns established practices, reversing roles: theory becomes an aid to practice. And the needs of the working world dictate the agenda (see page 20). After all, ours is the pleasure sector, the leisure sector... but also the sector of miracles. That’s right, and I’m very happy that in this issue of Qualitaly we deal with such a delicate subject but, at the same time, that gives us the ability to continue to do our job well and even better. I’m referring to the Cover Story piece, that is the interview with Nico Acampora, creator of PizzAut, a pizzeria that ‘’really is good’’ for creativity, altruism, courage and initiative. A project that gives employment to young autistic people, aimed at becoming the world’s first franchise of its kind (page 14). Providing job opportunities for all is a common goal, on which we need to Aiming (PizzAut has also become a Bill). This is why the restaurant industry, the driving force of our country, can and must make a difference. Enjoy your read! By Lorenzo Morelli AT PAGE 3 Time to take stock and make plans Despite the fact that 97.5% of restaurateurs recorded a drop in turnover in 2020, the 2021 data processed by the PwC Italia Studies Office, marks a +82.7% in Q2 2021 compared to the same period of the previous year. And by 2024, a return to pre-Covid growth rates is expected. The most dynamic segments include professional catering (+6.9% average annual growth in value terms in the period 2021-24). The latest government forecasts give us positive signals on the growth of the national GDP, estimated at around 6% on an annual basis. The 6.8 billion resources allocated by the NRRP and the complementary funds in direct support of the Italian agro-food industry, which today employs more than 500 thousand people, will also have a positive impact. This is an important signal that confirms MAGAZINE Traduzione a cura di Christopher Farley