Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The crisis is also having a serious impact on the tourism sector. Ask hoteliers and
they'll tell you that visitor numbers are down, both among foreign and domestic travellers.
Even the Italians who are still travelling are cutting back on their spending, with the result
that prices for tourist basics such as restaurant meals and accommodation have had to be
frozen at 2011 levels due to lack of demand. While lower costs may be a welcome sur-
prise for foreign visitors, they're bad news for Sicilians who depend on tourist dollars to
pay the bills. A sobering reminder of the grim toll these numbers were taking were the
suicides of two hotel owners on the Aeolian Islands in the days surrounding Easter 2013,
driven in part by feelings of financial desperation.
Throughout Sicily, funding cutbacks prompted by the crisis have also led to a shorten-
ing of business hours and the potential closure of some smaller museums and archaeolo-
gical sites, though the major tourist sites remain largely unaffected.
The Impact of Immigration
Another issue that Sicilians are grappling with is the impact of immigration. Being so
close to North Africa, the island has always been a crossroads, but recent political turmoil
in Libya and Tunisia has increased the flow of newcomers. While many Sicilians wel-
come new immigrants as a vibrant component of regional culture, others are unhappy with
Sicily's status as an unofficial gateway into Europe, viewing immigrants primarily as
competitors for jobs and strains on the island's already inadequate housing and infrastruc-
ture.
Traditional immigration for economic motives has recently been supplemented by a
massive upsurge in refugees seeking political asylum. Many asylum-seekers arrive first on
the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, whose close proximity to northern Africa makes it a
popular destination for boat traffic. In March 2011, reacting to overcrowded conditions at
Lampedusa, the Berlusconi government opened a brand-new immigrant detention centre
at Mineo, in Catania province. The centre has provoked backlash both from Sicilians who
object to receiving so many refugees on Sicilian soil, and from human-rights groups, who
have been scathing in their condemnation of living conditions at the centre. As this topic
goes to press, over 2800 refugees are still being held at Mineo, awaiting word on their
asylum requests with no clear plans for their release; meanwhile, violent protests among
detainees within the centre are on the rise.
