Covid 19: Italy's Sicily paying for tourists to visit after lockdown

Sicily.

A popular Italian island is trying to win back tourists after Covid-19 restrictions by offering to pay for half of your plane ticket, a night at a hotel and tourist attraction entry fees.

The south Italian island of Sicily is hoping to open its doors after lockdown ends on Monday.

According to the island's tourism website, for every three nights you stay at a hotel, they'll cover one of them, plus museum and archaeological entries.

It's estimated the Italian Government will use NZ$90m to fund the scheme after losses of more than $1b in the past two months.

Sicily.

The island offers white sandy beaches along its pristine coastline, plenty of historical and cultural sites and is also a great foodie hotspot.

However, It is not yet known when international travel will resume.

Italy gets 13 per cent of its GDP from tourism so is keen to welcome visitors back when it reaches the tail end of the pandemic. Next week's easing of its strict lockdown laws will allow movements within regions but will still outlaw inter-regional travel.

The rest of Italy is looking at ways to restart the tourist industry after being the hotspot of coronavirus in Europe.

A region in Italy has even drawn up plans for tourists to use "plexiglass boxes" while relaxing on the beach to reduce the spread of coronavirus.