Pesaro, Uiltucs: "The season no longer attracts young people"

At the conference "Pesaro: cultural tourism, global tourism" held at Palazzo Gradari, Uiltucs presented a sober assessment of the local tourism sector. Speakers noted that many young people opt for work abroad, drawn by better pay and language-learning opportunities.

Key figures and issues

• The Bilateral Tourism Observatory reports that 50% of Pesaro's tourism workers are over 40; women make up 61.2% of the workforce.
• Permanent contracts account for 39.5% while part-time contracts exceed 50%.
• Precarious conditions and limited career prospects make seasonal tourism jobs appear temporary, pushing young people to seek employment abroad.

Representatives from the union, city administration and trade associations stressed the need to diversify the tourism offer and extend the season, leveraging sea, hills and historic villages, as well as local projects like the "Itinerary of Beauty." Improving the city's digital visibility was also identified as a priority to compete with similarly sized destinations.

Proposed measures

• Renew the national collective labour agreement to raise job quality and career prospects in tourism.
• Invest in training, language skills and professional pathways to make tourism a viable career for young people and women.
• Promote destagionalization and integrate cultural, food-and-wine, sports and environmental tourism to attract visitors year-round.

Speakers concluded that recent cultural recognitions awarded to the city can support a shift in mindset, helping tourism become a sustainable economic engine that also appeals to the younger generation.