Properties for tourist-accommodation use are an excellent investment solution, a market experiencing strong recovery

Article in the Qds
11/08/2021

CATANIA – In recent years, with the exception, as for the other sectors, of the months marked by the health emergency, the real estate market for tourist-accommodation purposes has recorded real widespread growth across the national territory and, in this case, in regions with strong tourist traction, think for example of Sicily and Calabria.

It should first of all be specified that these properties, in order to be used for hospitality activities, must possess specific technical and structural characteristics as well as at an urban planning and cadastral level. In particular, it is necessary for them to have numerous services such as common spaces, dining rooms, but also fitness and/or meeting rooms, rooms with private bathrooms, and much more depending on the market category they are targeting. An increasingly smart offer that serves to respond to the most diverse needs of many tourists who, after the forced stop caused by the pandemic, want to start traveling again.

2021 certainly represented a turning point for Italian tourism, with 93% of our compatriots choosing to spend their summer holidays in the country, according to Federalberghi estimates. In 75% of cases the favorite destinations remain the seaside resorts and, at the top of the rankings, we find Sicily and Calabria which offer the perfect mix of relaxation by the sea, quality of food and artistic destinations to visit. For this year in Sicily, the Sicilian tourist-accommodation sector is expecting from 7 to 11 million tourists and the ones recovering attendance (+20.2%) are precisely the hotel structures which, according to Federalberghi, are the first choice as an accommodation solution for 25.2% of Italians.

The comeback of the sector, which is expected to return to full capacity on our island by 2023, certainly represents a strong point for all those who want to approach a rather profitable real estate investment. In many Sicilian cities with a strong tourist attraction, such as Catania and Palermo, there are buildings and buildings but also large properties with historical and cultural prestige which, although previously used for residential or office use, with the right precautions can be converted into tourist-receptive use.

However, particular attention must be paid in the investment process and all the technical and logistical characteristics of the property and/or building you wish to purchase must be precisely verified to avoid making the wrong investments or those that are not compatible with your needs.

For this reason it is advisable to turn to professionals in the sector, with proven direct experience in the field such as Expertise Re, a real estate agency specialized in consultancy for institutional and private investors, for companies, which operates in a widespread manner both in Sicily and Calabria, which is in charge of the sale and/or rental of an entire prestigious building, for office use located in via Guglielmo Oberdan 141, in Catania, known as "Palazzo Lanzerotti". This structure represents a concrete example of what has been described so far, as it is an Art Nouveau building of historical importance which, precisely by virtue of its characteristics, is also well suited to being used as a tourist facility.

At the same time, it is possible to opt for an investment that involves the reverse formula to that described so far, i.e. purchasing a property previously used as a hotel to convert it into a residential structure.

This is the case of the sale that the Expertise Re agency recently concluded successfully, of an entire building located in Syracuse, in Viale Scala Greca. The building, used as a hotel, has a total surface area of 6,930 m2, as well as a large external area of relevance. This operation does nothing but confirm, therefore, the current positive trend recorded in the buying and selling of commercial properties and also represents an opportunity of prestige for the area and of direct impact on the local market, also thanks to the impressive renovations planned for the same.