A free night in Sicily sounds amazing. Booking it is complicated.
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Loading... - Claire James
- 07 Feb 2023
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The vacation deal from Visit Sicily requires you to book over email with an Italian travel agency
If you’re considering a trip to Italy — and you have deep reserves of patience — Sicily’s tourism office will pay for a chunk of your stay to include the dreamy Mediterranean island in your plans.
Under its See Sicily program, Visit Sicily offers a free night’s stay, a complimentary excursion and a discount on an airfare or ferry ticket. After the tourism office unveiled the travel promotion two years ago, it’s back for 2023.
Andiamo, right? Not so fast.
The deal is riddled with confusing details and caveats, including two blackout months in the summer. I spent days trying to arrange a test booking before making any progress.
Visit Sicily created the package to boost tourism, which withered during the coronavirus pandemic. Compared to 2019 figures, tourism in Italy fell by 61 percent in 2020 and 58 percent in 2021, according to the U.N. World Travel Organization. In 2019, about 65 million people visited one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
The deal, which is outlined on Visit Sicily’s website, seems straightforward enough. Book two nights at any of the dozens of participating accommodations and receive a third night free. You can also double the rewards with two free nights on a six-night stay.
Additionally, you get to choose a “tourist service,” such as a guided walking tour or a diving trip. As a further incentive, the tourism office will throw in a voucher that claims to cover 50 percent of your air or ferry expenses.
But don’t start packing your Dolce & Gabbana caftan yet. You’re about to begin trading emails with travel agents working on Italian time. Read More…
