There’s a flurry of problems facing the travel industry at the moment, not least the question of its survival in a time of lockdowns and travel bans.
But to their credit, industry leaders are still finding innovative ways to help where they can, as is currently being demonstrated by four hotels on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Recognising that weeks of isolation are only fuelling wanderlust, Le Sirenuse and Il San Pietro in Positano, Palazzo Avino in Ravello and Hotel Santa Catarina in Amalfi, unaffiliated but for location, have clubbed together to do their bit by selling holidays in order to raise money for medical research.
• From sofa safaris to Easter recipes: how hotels can help you survive the lockdown
To be more precise, each hotel has allocated 10 vouchers to be sold at €5,000 (£4,395) apiece. The prospective €200,000 generated by the charity drive will then be donated to an Italian campaign called Together for a Covid-19 Vaccine, a research project spearheaded by the Pascale Foundation, which has already made huge inroads in developing a vaccine that could combat the coronavirus.
Each of the 40 vouchers can be redeemed within two years, before the close of the 2022 season, for a two-night stay for two people, including dinner at Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890 in Sant’Agnata sui Due Golfi.
The four hotels are offering a host of individual bonuses too, including romantic dinners, spa treatments, cocktail-mixing classes and private tours of the Campanian coast’s scenic, cliff-hugging towns.
Credit:
ROBERTO BONARDI
Mariella Avino, owner of Palazzo Avino, said: “It is through friendship, respect and common values that we joined forces to help the fight against the world enemy. We are together in this and cannot be more proud of this initiative.”
But those whose interests are piqued will have to move quickly. Le Sirenuse has reported a complete sellout after fielding more than 600 enquiries at the weekend, with many of those who were ultimately unsuccessful choosing to donate to the cause nonetheless.
It’s been a similar story elsewhere, although at time of writing some vouchers are still available. Consult individual hotels for information on how to book, or consult respective Instagram pages for more details.
For more information, see: @palazzoavino; @hotel_santa_caterina; @ilsanpietrodipositano and @lesirenuse