We travel and do tourism in Italy. If the 2023 was a record year, with 451 million visits and growth that not only exceeded pre-pandemic levels, but also recorded the highest values ever seen2024 seems to be riding the wave and the projections relating to tourism trends, established by the major associations in the sector, seem to confirm this. Foreigners choose Italy as their primary holiday destination according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical tool, which crowns theItaly as the second most popular destination in Europejust behind Spain.
Those who choose to travel to Italy know that they will find 8,300 km of coastline and 485 “Blue Flag” beaches, a symbol of business excellence and respect for the environment. But also the highest density of cultural and artistic heritage per surface area, which means thatItaly is the first country on the UNESCO listin addition to the long gastronomic and oenological tradition that distinguishes us throughout the world.
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Tourism in Italy is constantly growing, the figures say it
“Record” is a word that is often abused simply to exalt or highlight excellent results. Using it to talk about tourism trends in Italy is a temptation, supported this time by the evidence of the data. According to Istat, the national statistics body, the estimates for the year 2023 record the highest values ever recorded in tourism. Constant growth since 2015 and which only came to an abrupt halt due to the pandemic.
For 2024, while the peak tourist season is still underway, it is necessary to refer to some data relating to the first months of the year and to the forecasts prepared by the associations based on reservations in the hotel and non-hotel sectors.
Assoturismo-Confesercenti, the Federation of Companies Operating in Tourism, states that During the first 5 months of the year, the number of people staying in accommodation facilities increased by 3.8% compared to 2023 and for the summer season, it predicts a +1.5% compared to the previous oneor 216 million visitors between June and August.
Foreigners return to travel to Italy
A growing flow also dictated by the improvement in economic conditions. The recent drop in inflation and the fall in interest rates are pushing savers to widen their purse strings and invest in travel. According to the Tourism Observatory of Confcommercio, the Italian business confederation, they would be 29 million Italians ready to leave, split between holidays in Italy and abroad between June and September, generating a turnover of more than 35 billion euros, 10% more compared to 2023.
Those who seem enthusiastic about spending their holidays in Italy are foreigners. For Assoturismo, after periods of lukewarmness linked to the economic uncertainty of recent years, there will be more than 26 million foreigners who will spend their holidays in Italy during the summer quarter, with a growth five times higher than that of Italian presences. Practically one in two tourists will be foreignOf these, 32% come from Germany, while the flow from the United States is growing, which, with +3.1%, represents the most important non-European market.
And the economy smiles
The growth of tourism in Italy can only be positive. The entire industry generates a value equal to 6% of the national GDP, 11% if we consider indirectly linked industries linked to employment, to work related to the development and protection of the territory.
So much so that the president of Confcommercio himself, Carlo Sangalli, entrusts it with a decisive role for the performance of the entire Italian economy: “The fate of this year 2024, which will end with a complicated budgetary maneuver, depends on the overall stability of employment, the reduction of inflation and the expected growth of tourism in all its forms”
A heritage that generates wealth and deserves to be protected.
