Italy
Mayor invites Lauterbach to Rimini
Will Health Minister Karl Lauterbach accept the invitation to Rimini? photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Karl Lauterbach caused a stir in Rome with his tweet about the heat in Italy. Italy’s Minister of Tourism is irritated. Now there is an invitation to the Adriatic coast.
A tweet from Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (60). Italy’s future as a holiday destination is still making waves in the Mediterranean country after almost two weeks. After the Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanchè, the mayor of Rimini has now spoken and invited the SPD politician to a holiday in the city on the Adriatic Sea.
“We would be very happy to welcome you here,” writes Social Democrat Jamil Sadegholvaad in a letter also published in German.
In view of a heat wave that brought very high temperatures to the Mediterranean country, Lauterbach wrote on Twitter on July 13: “The heat wave is spectacular here. If things continue like this, these holiday destinations will have no future in the long term. Climate change is destroying southern Europe. An era is coming to an end.” Lauterbach referred to a map of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative.
“Holiday destination for the descendants of Goethe”
Rimini’s mayor Sadegholvaad also writes that millions of Germans regard Rimini and the Romagna region as a second home and Italy as a place of longing. “I can reassure you: we are here, and do not be afraid: our tourism, like tourism in all of southern Europe, will not disappear because of climate change.” Everything necessary will be done to ensure that Italy remains a “holiday destination for Goethe’s descendants”. Lauterbach is expected with joy and a smile.
Tourism Minister Santanchè (Fratelli d’Italia) had previously shown herself irritated. In Italy, people are aware of climate change, which affects not only southern Europe but the entire planet. She referred to a strategic plan for tourism that “will allow us to make the Italian tourist offer welcoming and sustainable 365 days a year”.
“We are sure that Germans will continue to appreciate vacations in Italy,” said Santanchè in a statement in response to Lauterbach.
Tourism in Italy is booming in 2023. There are hardly any vacant accommodations left in particularly popular travel destinations. The industry is expecting a record summer. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, Italy was the most popular holiday destination for Germans alongside Austria in 2022.