According to the statistical survey carried out by the research carried out by Crea, the University of Calabria and the National Rural Network in 2023, among the most popular Italian regions for traditional tourists (who often visit multiple regions) are Calabria (37%), Sicily (16% ), Lazio (14%), Campania and Veneto (13%), Marche (12%). Puglia, Tuscany and Sardinia (10%), Emilia Romagna and Liguria (9%), Abruzzo (8%) and Basilicata (6%). The year 2024 has been declared the “Year of Italian Roots” as part of the PNRR Project “Roots Tourism”. Based on estimates by the Coldiretti Observatory on Isnart and Bank of Italy data, there are approximately 7.8 million foreign tourists of Italian origin who every year want to reconnect with their roots by visiting their family’s land of origin at an expense annual estimated at 8 billion.
Food, which represents an increasingly significant element of the tourist experience, takes on even greater importance in these cases since emigration concerned agricultural areas and table traditions are a more direct expression of the connection with the land. As many as 96% of travelers with roots in Italy enjoyed the local cuisine and 80% made purchases of food or drinks.
Upon returning from holiday, 43% turn more assiduously to Italian agri-food products and recommend them to relatives and friends but there is also 12% who buy them without recommending them. Roots tourists therefore become true ambassadors abroad of Made in Italy and also contribute to reducing the phenomenon of Italian sounding since the purchase also represents a pleasant memory of the holiday which is also the result of the desire to support one’s land which is significant for the candidacy of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO heritage site.
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