"For Just 1 Euro, House for Sale to Those Disappointed by Trump's Election"

Unique Marketing in Italian Island Village
"Fast Track Established for Americans"

A small Italian island village, which had been struggling with population decline, has launched a unique marketing campaign to attract new residents. The village is offering old houses for just 1 euro to American voters disappointed by this year’s presidential election results.

Italy Sardegna Island [Photo source=YouTube screen capture].

On the 19th (local time), the US CNN network reported that the town of Ololai on the Italian island of Sardinia has launched a migration promotion website targeting Americans after the US presidential election. The website is decorated with English phrases such as, "Tired of international politics? Looking for a balanced life with guaranteed new opportunities? Now is the time to start your escape to Europe in the paradise of Sardinia."

Ololai offers three types of housing options: free temporary residences for digital nomads, 1-euro houses that need renovation, and move-in ready homes for sale at up to 100,000 euros (about 147.69 million KRW). A special team has been formed to handle all administrative procedures required at each stage, including paperwork and renovations. Customized home tours will also be provided for prospective buyers.

Ololai previously ran a "1 Euro House" project in 2018 as part of its "Save the Town Project." However, the condition was that the house must be renovated to be livable within three years. Because of this, CNN reported that only 10 houses have actually been sold for 1 euro. The current population is about 1,300, which is less than half of its peak population.

Francesco Columbu, mayor of Ololai, told CNN in an interview, "I cannot explicitly mention the name of the US president-elect, but everyone knows that the reason many Americans want to leave the country is 'that person.'" He added, "I love America, and I believe Americans are the most suitable people to revitalize our village." He emphasized, "We are focusing more on Americans than anyone else," and "While people from other countries are welcome, Americans can purchase homes through expedited procedures." CNN reported that most of the 38,000 inquiries received recently have come from the US.

With former US President Donald Trump successfully re-entering the White House as the president-elect, there has been a surge in online searches for terms like "leaving the US" and "immigrating to Canada." According to Google Trends, which shows how often specific terms are searched on the internet, searches for "how to immigrate to Canada" increased by 400% compared to the previous day immediately after the election, and "how to legally immigrate to Canada" rose by 200%. Additionally, searches such as "requirements to immigrate to Canada" and "immigrating from the US to Canada" surged by over 5,000% in just one day. During the 2016 presidential election when Trump won, Canadian immigration websites temporarily crashed due to overwhelming traffic.