The tourism and the fire
prevention systems
in Italian hotels

Since the postwar years Italy is the dream destination of every tourist. Not by chance: beautiful landscapes, historical heritage unique in the world for its monuments, architecture and art. It is worth asking if the quality of services, offered by the local tertiary sector, lives up to Italy. Does the accommodation respect the international safety standards?
Let’s start with a concrete fact. The adaption to standards for fire prevention in hotels are defined by DM (Italian Ministerial Decree) 09/04/1994 and concern all tourism infrastructure such as hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, boarding houses. Hotels, built before 1994, avail themselves of a 20-year-old fire prevention system. To be exact, an extension of the original certificate of 1994 is given
to these structures. This is not valid for hotels of the latest generation or built after that year, which must comply with the last standard of fire prevention.

The compliance
of the fire-resistant coatings

Because of the recent building crisis, it is necessary to consider that the majority of the accommodation centres in Italy were built before 1994. Using a system, that complies with 20-year-old standards, means using not compliant products, such as the used fire-retardant coatings. Permitting the adaption to old and obsolete standards, no hotel manager will invest in modern and safe fire prevention systems. Vice versa, companies use energy and investments in the realization of more and more technologic fire prevention systems.

The research
for safety
and reliability

Thanks to the research, nowadays the creation of safe and reliable buildings is possible. In the same way it is possible to make safer already existing buildings. But still on the national territory there are hotels, hostels and boarding houses less safe than the maximum standards, than can be reached with new regulations and technology.
The consequence on tourism? Outside our Peninsula people do not turn a blind eye. Abroad the travel agencies remark to tourists the singular Italian juridical system and explain in details the features of fire prevention systems in most of the Italian hotels. People, who travel, above all today, want every type of guarantee for their safety.