Lampedusa, an island-world combining nightlife, nature and independent travel

It is essentially small local businesses that are driving tourism. There is a lack of major investors. And B&Bs – both licensed and unlicensed – are springing up everywhere. In the town centre, prices for dilapidated properties have skyrocketed: over 100,000 euros for – at a push – 40-square-metre properties, all in need of renovation. Tourists do not pay a tourist tax, so it is difficult to obtain an accurate figure for tourist numbers. However, a landing fee is charged to those arriving by plane or ship. According to the mayor, ‘last year there were around 150,000 arrivals. And this year it seems tourist numbers are on the rise. The season has got off to a good start, with a 4 per cent increase,’ he says. But in 2025, actual arrivals may have been higher, given that the landing fee (€5 per person) brought €900,000 into the council’s coffers. “So we’ve invested a small portion in tourism promotion and the rest in waste management.” Lampedusa’s rubbish leaves the island, goes to Sicily and then ends up in Germany.

The mayor, representing a centre-right majority, governs with goodwill. He was elected following the tumultuous mayoralty of Giusi Nicolini (recipient of the UNESCO Peace Prize, the Passione Civile Prize in Verona, the Simone de Beauvoir Prize in Paris, and the Olof Palme Prize in Stockholm). And following the outcry caused by so many landings and shipwrecks. Those were the days of a different Lampedusa. Today, there is a palpable temptation to portray the island as if the migrant issue did not concern it – indeed, as if it did not exist at all. But then Mannino admits that ‘this is also part of Lampedusa’s story, and indeed, the presence of migrants is an added value. It’s just that things are better now – he is keen to point out – whereas before it was just an emergency, with only cooperatives taking advantage of the situation. With management entirely geared towards the cameras. We, on the other hand, with the refurbishment work now complete and a more prudent organisation, have restored dignity to these people. The hotspot is also equipped with a mobile gynaecological clinic.”

Right now, the mayor is in talks with the government to protect the community: the disadvantages arising from the island’s remote location are severe. The Parliamentary Commission on Insularity is seeking measures to alleviate the situation. ‘We have never featured so prominently on the government’s agenda,’ Mannino continues with satisfaction. ‘But our location turns ordinary problems into enormous challenges. For a start, nobody here can commute.’ Not even doctors. The hospital operates solely as an A&E department. If that is not enough, patients are transferred by helicopter, at their own expense, to Palermo, which is the health district to which the island belongs. No babies have been born on Lampedusa for 30 years: women nearing childbirth move with their families to Agrigento or other Sicilian cities.

The islanders now, however, have a fully equipped ambulance, provided by the National Institute for the Promotion of Migrant Health and the Fight against Poverty-Related Diseases. They also have a heated incubator that can be transported safely by helicopter. A decentralised oncology service has recently been launched, serving 50 patients. ‘We’re also facing difficulties with school and administrative staff. There are further problems with the fishermen, for whom we’re calling for a tax exemption scheme on fuel and gas.’ Fishing is the island’s main industry. But now, with the rise in petrol and diesel prices, most boats prefer to stay in port. The fishermen know that the day’s catch will not cover their costs. “We need a reduction in VAT from 22 to 5 per cent.”

Following its participation in the ITB in Berlin and other international trade fairs, Lampedusa aims to attract not only Italian tourists – who currently come exclusively from the north – but also European travellers, particularly Germans and French. And whilst the mayor plans to spread visitor numbers more evenly throughout the year – “because the sea here is warm even in November” – he intends to spend the 45 million allocated under the ‘Decreto Sud’ on a strategic infrastructure plan covering the road, sewerage and water networks. And to build a fuel storage depot. These are urgent measures, intended to compensate for the hardships the island is experiencing. But on their own, they are not enough to ensure the island’s effective, harmonious and comprehensive development: Lampedusa still needs a vision, a model, a project – economic, cultural, and focused on regenerative and creative tourism – that brings together all the facets of this ‘island-world’.