ROME – The region of Puglia first announced it would offer 1,500 euros to support those getting married and then Sardinia raised that figure to 4,000 later on, reports il Fatto quotidiano.

 The bonus, which in Puglia will be offered to anyone married from July 1 up until Dec. 31 this year, is an attempt to inject investment into an industry gravely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. However, there has been criticism from members of the LGBT community as the bonus would not apply to lesbian and gay civil unions. The spokesperson for Gay Center, Fabrizio Marrazzo has written that “We remain disconcerted that another administration, claiming to be progressive has produced a discriminatory act against our community that also will cause economic damage for operators in the sector that deal with civil unions.”

 There were also concerns raised when people highlighted that the limit on the money Puglia would inject into this process stood at 30,000 euros, only 20 weddings. However, the announcement states that the limit “is susceptible to integration and implementation, taking account of the number of requests and consistency of interest generated.”

 The voucher will allow couples to save somewhat on the price of certain aspects of the wedding ceremony in an attempt to revivify a 15 billion euro industry. PugliaPromozione, the regional tourism company, has released the details of the “voucher” while the Salinas council in Sardinia offered the 4,000 euros to help purchase certain ceremonial regulars from catering, to wedding-planners.

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