{"id":11821,"date":"2026-02-18T15:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/11821\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T15:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:27:10","slug":"in-the-italian-alps-the-winter-olympics-are-hurting-livigno-shops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/11821\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Italian Alps, the Winter Olympics are hurting Livigno shops"},"content":{"rendered":"

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) \u2014 On the climb to Livigno, atop the mountain pass before the road glides down to the village hosting snowboarding at the Winter Olympics<\/a>, there sits a lonely customs checkpoint. Its guardhouse and gate are the only signs of an internal fiscal border within Italy, one that encircles the snow-blanketed valley and the duty-free status it has enjoyed for centuries.<\/p>\n

The tax exemption that makes Livigno a shoppers\u2019 paradise, paradoxically, has left it not receiving the full economic bonus from hosting the Olympics, at least in the short term. On the contrary, shopkeepers are getting squeezed \u2014 even if hotels and restaurants are packed and cashing in. Still, everyone is hopeful the Games will yield a longer-term upside for the village.<\/p>\n

Questioning economic benefits is routine for Olympic host cities, and it\u2019s been the talk of the town on Livigno\u2019s main street during the Games. Unlike in other Olympic mountain venues, business owners told The Associated Press that athletes, fans, workers and volunteers have boxed out visitors who come chasing duty-free deals in what is usually a bumper month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not positive about the Olympics, because usually you are working more than double in this period, because this period for us was a high season. Now, this period is like our low season,\u201d said Olga Salari, owner of a toy story full of Lego sets. Olympic visitors, she added, \u201cdon\u2019t even visit the shops.\u201d<\/p>\n

How bad has it been? Salari said she has already seen a 70% drop in sales compared with an average February. The Olympics run from Feb. 6-22.<\/p>\n

Visitors to all six mountain venues must have either accreditation, accommodation reserved, event tickets or a ski pass \u2014 and so can\u2019t be day trippers only out for a deal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A man takes a photo as a worker plows snow at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andy Bao)<\/p>\n

A man takes a photo as a worker plows snow at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andy Bao)<\/p>\n

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Duty-free since Medieval times<\/p>\n

Livigno is nicknamed \u201cLittle Tibet\u201d for its historic isolation and the snow-clad peaks that surround it. This village near the Swiss border has had sales tax exemptions since medieval times, which allowed the impoverished, cut-off area to bring in goods.<\/p>\n

When a paved road leading south, and later a tunnel north to Switzerland, finally arrived in the 20th century, that duty-free status became an economic elixir because it attracted tourists.<\/p>\n

Visitors can purchase 300 euros ($356) worth of goods without Italy\u2019s 22% sales tax. There are specific limits on perfumes, cigarettes, cigars, liquor and gasoline.<\/p>\n

Livigno\u2019s tax break has made it a haven for skiers who seize the chance to pick up a watch, cosmetics, perfume, electronics or a carton of cigarettes before the drive home to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and elsewhere. Outside of the Olympics, anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tourists are more interested to see the competition. They\u2019re not so focused on shopping,\u201d said Manuel Galli, whose family owns an electronics store.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People walk through a street during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andy Bao)<\/p>\n

People walk through a street during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andy Bao)<\/p>\n

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Some mountain venues are already getting a boost<\/p>\n

According to a report by Italy\u2019s Banca Ifis, the overall economic impact of the Games is expected to reach 5.3 billion euros ($6.2 billion). Of that, 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) is estimated to be spent by tourists at the host sites during the next 18 months. The bank did not break that down by venue location. Milan Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malag\u00f2 cited more than 5 billion euros in an interview with Italian radio station RTL.<\/p>\n

The committee has said that the Olympics have spurred Italian authorities to upgrade the electrical distribution systems of Livigno and the other mountain host sites. Improvements to Livigno\u2019s health clinic and rail service are also legacy investments.<\/p>\n

Other mountain venues\u2019 stores seem to be getting an economic boost.<\/p>\n

Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo\u2019s Vice Mayor Roberta Alver\u00e0 told the AP by text message that the town has seen \u201ca significant influx of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they\u2019re not just filling hotels and restaurants. Visitors, as well as Italians who own second homes in the posh town, are also filling the shops along Cortina\u2019s pedestrian-only Corso Italia that runs through the center of town.<\/p>\n

In Bormio\u2019s historic center, the cobblestone walkways have been filled with fans throughout the men\u2019s Alpine ski racing program, and its shops have seen plenty of activity.<\/p>\n

Hope for a publicity payoff<\/p>\n

Sergio Schena, a member of the organizing committee for the area of Livigno, said it\u2019s normal for some businesses to see more activity than others, but the long-term impact will be positive. The global spotlight should draw tourists from farther away, as happened in Turin after it hosted in 2006, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we expect to happen is that the markets change, and we get more tourists from the United States and Asia,\u201d Schena said.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t suit some shop owners. Salari said her business model is based on people driving to Livigno and using the extra trunk space to take home purchases. She fears tourists who travel by plane will only buy goods small enough to fit in their luggage.<\/p>\n

Still, most people in Livigno \u2014 even the other shopkeepers \u2014 are hoping Schema is right, trusting that the televised images of snowboarders<\/a> and freestyle skiers soaring<\/a> off its slopes and snow park have put Livigno on the world map, and will eventually attract even more tourists.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Czechia's<\/p>\n

Czechia\u2019s Radek Houser competes during the men\u2019s snowboard cross qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n

Czechia\u2019s Radek Houser competes during the men\u2019s snowboard cross qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is very important because (the Games) are providing 360-degree publicity around the world and Livigno is coming across very well,\u201d said Derio Claoti, the owner of a shop that sells perfumes, whose sales have taken a 70% sales hit.<\/p>\n

A few doors down, at the Golden Clock shop for luxury watches and jewelry, Damiano Longa said he expects his drop in sales will ultimately be worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that the advertising that it\u2019s making for Livigno will work for the future,\u201d Longa said. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Milan, Andrew Dampf in Cortina and Pat Graham in Bormio contributed.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Winter Olympics: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) \u2014 On the climb to Livigno, atop the mountain pass before the road glides down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[1817,937,50,114,8821,8826,2783,8827,272,309,8824,8823,1821,8820,8825,1824,8822,1885,307,1823,1046],"class_list":{"0":"post-11821","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alps","8":"tag-2026-milan-cortina-olympic-games","9":"tag-2026-winter-olympics","10":"tag-alps","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-consumer-products-and-services","13":"tag-damiano-longa","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-giovanni-malag","16":"tag-international","17":"tag-italy","18":"tag-manuel-galli","19":"tag-olga-salari","20":"tag-olympic-games","21":"tag-retail-and-wholesale","22":"tag-roberta-alver","23":"tag-send-to-apple-news","24":"tag-sergio-schena","25":"tag-snowboarding","26":"tag-sports","27":"tag-winter-olympic-games","28":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}