February 5th, 2024

Davide Valia presents a new project for Italian retired people in Tunisia at BIT in Milan by Clarissa Valia Davide Valia: “The idea is to reconvert the Tunisian hotels that were shut down on account of the Corona virus to create flats that guarantee a high quality of life for Italians who have low pensions in our country” In the picture: Souheil Chaabani, Director of the Tunisian Tourist Board for Italy; Davide Valia, Board member of the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean Countries based in Milan and Tunis; Francesca Brigandì, President of the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean Countries; Rosa Zambianchi; Maurizio Cinà; Giorgio Ferrari; Roberto Coco

A new project is underway for Italian retired people who are thinking of moving to Tunisia to enjoy the fruits of their labour; in addition to the benefits in terms of reduced taxation. It is a plan to upgrade Tunisian hotels, which were closed for two years during the Covid pandemic, to convert them into flats for soon-to-be retired Italians.

The project was discussed on Monday, February 5th, 2024 at the International Tourism Fair in Milan in the presence of Souheil Chaabani, director of the Tunisian Tourism Board for Italy, Davide Valia, board member of the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean Countries based in Milan and Tunis, Dr. Francesca Brigandì, president of the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean Countries, Lawyer Rosa Zambianchi, Arch. Maurizio Cinà, Dr. Giorgio Ferrari, Mr. Roberto Coco and Dr. Luca Colombari.

“We have set up a discussion with the head of Tunisia's tourism board, some Italian investors, and the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean countries because we are evaluating a project that aims to create facilities that have the capacity to guarantee a high quality of life for Italians who have low pensions in our country,” Davide Valia explains.

“The Italian population is ageing. The problem that no one is thinking about is that those who are going to retire in the next few years will have their pensions cut from their last paycheck by a minimum of 60% to 80%. This means that if you have a last paycheck of Euro 2,000, you will end up with a pension of Euro 1,400-1,500. More retired people in Italy also means higher costs; it is no longer like the old days when old people did not cost money. Today they actually cost even more than a child. There will therefore be a social problem to face. So the thought is to start working on a country, which is Tunisia, where, for example, the average salary of a Tunisian is around Euro 350 per month. What does this mean? That an Italian retired person earning one thousand euros in Tunisia would make a decent living”, Mr. Valia adds.

“We take these former hotel facilities and ask the local administration to partly convert them by creating flats; so that, for example, a 50-year-old Italian, who is therefore still in working age, may start thinking about buying accommodation in Tunisia, where house prices are much more favourable compared to European market prices, and thus move to a place where his pension allows him to maintain a higher quality of life than he would have in Italy”, concludes the board member of the Chamber of Commerce for Mediterranean countries based in Milan and Tunis.