TAORMINA Marco Verratti Saint-Germain Jersey , Italy, May 25 (Xinhua) -- As final preparations were being made to host a major Group of Seven (G7) summit, local residents of Taormina do not really seem to be in a mood of excitement.
"I would not say this is a good event for us, we have lost much of the tourism so far," Agata, co-owner of an apparel shop, told Xinhua.
Her store lies in Giardini Naxos Marquinhos Saint-Germain Jersey , a key seaside location down the hill where Taormina is located.
"We wait all year long for these four to five months since the tourism season is everything to us, this is not the right time to hold such an event here," she explained.
Having run her business for some 10 years, Agata is quite aware of the trend of tourists. This May, she said, is almost lost due to security restrictions.
Between Monday and Sunday, only local residents Presnel Kimpembe Saint-Germain Jersey , participants of the summit and people working for the summit -- 11,000 in total -- are allowed to enter the town.
During the period, all hotels within the most restricted "red zone" are required to reject all reservations and leave their rooms empty.
Tourists are not allowed to reach Taormina, and schools are closed from Thursday to Sunday.
Security measures have been put in place since earlier, especially heavy restrictions on private vehicles.
"These measures have been gradually imposed since last month, and meanwhile tourism flows have been diverted toward other destinations in the Mediterranean," taxi driver Carmelo Priolo told Xinhua.
The man said he had nothing against the summit Gianluigi Buffon Saint-Germain Jersey , but insisted the Italian government have chosen the wrong period.
"It could have been held in March, or between October and November, May is the beginning of the (tourism) season," he said.
Priolo acknowledged that the G7 summit might benefit Taormina by boosting its profile in medium term.