Anyone who goes on holiday to Italy can potentially support the mafia there with the money they spend there. She will earn in the tourism sector approximately 3.3 billion euros per year. This is estimated by the Demoskopika institute in a study published on Tuesday, TASR informs based on a report from the DPA agency.
In the next two years, these revenues are likely to will increase significantly due to major events such as the Holy Year 2025 and the Winter Olympics to be held in February 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
According to the Demoskopika institute, half of the illegal turnover (1.6 billion euros per year) goes to the Calabrian mafia ‘Ndrangheta. It is followed by the Camorra operating in Naples and all of Campania (more than 950 million euros), the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and organized crime groups from the southern Puglia area.
Although all these groups have their roots in the south of Italy, almost half of the tourism revenue comes from the north of the country. These organizations either they own shares in hotels and restaurants, or extort royalties from legitimate businesses.
According to the head of Demoskopika, Raffael Rio, many companies in the field of tourism in Italy are in an uncertain situation and they are an easy target for the mafia. Financial difficulties force them to accept “offers of help” from criminal groups. The institute estimates that there are more than 7,000 “vulnerable” companies, which is 15 percent of the total number. The Mafia promises companies financial survival, debt coverage and liquidity, but at a very high price: control or complete takeover.
“The mafia is building a criminal social system that will crush entrepreneurs in trouble,” stated Rio. The cycle of money laundering, usury and extortion is flourishing, which also significantly affects the legal economy.
