The critical situation that developed after the city's landfills overflowed and there was nowhere to dump waste continues to worsen. As The Daily Telegraph writes, last week piles of garbage reappeared on the city streets, and the European Commission threatened to sue the Neapolitan authorities for failing to solve the problem.
Photographs of burning garbage along with reports of the crime situation in the city led to disruptions in the tourism industry; some hotels reported that the number of booking requests had dropped by 30%. Velardi, a PR specialist, outlined a new tourism strategy for Naples: 'sell the city without gloss.' According to him, Naples has never been a clean city. 'It has always been a breeding ground for viral diseases, hepatitis. I live better than many Neapolitans, but even I have liver problems because I had hepatitis as a child,' said Velardi.
According to the new head of the city's tourism department, tourists should love Naples because it offers them a unique opportunity to enjoy a combination of beauty and dirt at the same time. 'If I go to Rio de Janeiro, I know there are favelas - slums. This city is just as chaotic, but it is beautiful and has its character,' noted Velardi. 'We do not intend to turn Naples into Frankfurt. Moreover, hotel owners say that not one person leaving Naples has ever expressed dissatisfaction with this city. It leaves wonderful memories. Of course, we cannot use this as an alibi. There is a clear line that cannot be crossed, beyond which living conditions are unacceptable.'
According to an investigation by the newspaper La Repubblica, on July 5 Naples faces another garbage crisis - on that day the contract under which the city sends its waste for processing to Germany expires. Every day, 7,200 tons of garbage accumulate in Naples. 'In the future, another crisis is expected, much more serious than the last, because it will occur when the temperature rises to 32-36 degrees,' the newspaper warns.
According to the head of the Neapolitan tourism department, the city has a suitable plan to solve this problem. Velardi sharply criticized the European Commission for its intention to initiate legal proceedings: 'We very often hear complaints from Brussels, but frankly, they have never done anything, and statements of this kind do not help. Last time, with their complaints, they managed to undermine our mozzarella cheese production industry, which, as we all know, is absolutely safe.'
Velardi also called not to dramatize the security situation in Naples, even considering that two years ago, when the war between the Camorra clans (Neapolitan mafia) began, an army unit was sent to the city to patrol the streets. 'My wife felt unsafe when we were walking around London last week,' he said. 'People usually feel unsafe in strange places.'
At the same time, Velardi added, officials and laws do not allow him to put more law enforcement officers on the streets to protect tourists. 'This contract with guards is absurd. On Saturdays, only 500 are available, of which 300 sit in offices, and the remaining 200 either do not come to work, citing illness, or go to watch football,' he complained.
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