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A group of hotels in the Italian city of Assisi are offering a free holiday to couples who conceive during their stay.
The 10 hotels in central Italy’s Umbria region are part of the Fertility Room project, a scheme launched by a local tourism councillor which aims to boost local travel and address the country’s low birth rate.
Some of the hotels are offering a refund on the cost of night, while other properties are offering a free second one-night stay to all guests who have a child around 9 months – give or take 10 days – after their visit to the hotel.
Italy has the lowest birth rate in the EU and one of the lowest in the world, with only eight babies born for every 1,000 residents in 2015.
The project’s website, which is in Italian, says: “The low birth rate in our country is one of the most significant problems that social policies will have to face in the coming years.” It claims the scheme has been “immediately welcomed enthusiastically and unanimously”.
Despite this, local authorities claim the project is not endorsed by the city council. The city’s mayor, Stefania Proietti, told local newspaper Assisi Oggi that the scheme had no official connection to the city’s administration.
The hotels involved currently include; Agriturismo Basaletto; Agriturismo Casa Faustina; Agriturismo Le Mandrie di San Paolo; Hotel Cristallo; Dal Moro Assisi Gallery Hotel; Hotel Dei Priori; Hotel Fontebella; Hotel Il Castello; Hotel Windsor Savoia; and Villamena.
The programme, which will require couples to produce a valid birth certificate, is only due to run until April next year.
