The role of inter-regional tourism in the spread of COVID-19 in Italy during the 2020 Summer: A confirmatory study

Abstract

Going into 2021 many European countries have faced subsequent strong waves of COVID-19 infections that forced governments to reestablish many of the restrictions imposed in the 2020 spring, after a period of relative calm in the summer when the pandemic seemed to be under control. Here, we examine the period prior to the resurgence of the pandemic in autumn, following the interregional mobility due to Italian tourism. Further to a preliminary analysis, we investigate on the spread of the pandemic in Italy during the summer 2020, relating the number of infections with tourism data. In particular, we put the focus on the internal tourism (as international mobility was restricted at the time) between the various Italian regions for the summer holidays. The intuition is that tourist flows, due to the lift of travel restriction in the period when most people went on vacation, has been a determining factor in bringing back the virus, in areas where there were only a handful of cases, thus kick starting the second wave that hit Italy in autumn.