This year too, it will be “a summer at the seaside, beach style” but with higher rates (+7.9% compared to 2023, which had already seen increases of over 12.6%) and a drop in Italian visitors, partly offset by the increase in foreign visitors. This is what the Panorama Turismo – Mare Italia observatory of Jfc predicts, which ANSA is publishing in preview. Out of a total of 407 million visitors in the beach sector (-1.1% on summer 2023 and -1.2% on 2019), Italian visitors will be 312 million 511 thousand with a drop of 4.4% and therefore a loss of 14 million 511 thousand on 2023. At the same time, foreign visitors will reach 94 million 513 thousand with a +11.6% (i.e. 9 million 823 thousand) on 2023.
For the second consecutive year, the expense that must be incurred in order to spend a beach holiday is increasing. Compared to the summer of 2022, you have to pay 20.5% more, with much higher increase rates if you evaluate the catering sector alone (+24.5%). As regards the price increases relating to hospitality, bars/ice cream parlours, the cost of travel, leisure and entertainment opportunities and public services present in the seaside resorts, over the two-year period these services have seen – all in a similar manner – increases around 20 percentage points. The only sector that brought about a lower increase, equal to +16.6% in the two-year period, was that of beach services.
The number of Italians on Italian beaches is decreasing, but not the desire for sun, sea and holidays. But where will they go? “The answer to this question is the most interesting but certainly not extremely positive for our tourism economy – explains Massimo Feruzzi, head of Jfc and the observatory -. In fact, the survey at a national level shows that there is an increase in summer trips by Italians, but also that the increase in tourist flows refers mainly to foreign seaside destinations, with Greece, Spain and Albania leading the way”. On the contrary, in Italy seaside destinations will show fluctuating indicators both between the locations of the same seaside areas as well as between the various weeks, making the activity of operators in the sector even more complex. “With a red alert – Feruzzi continues – which is that of the month of August, which risks no longer being the classic month of ‘Italians’ holidays’: prices are too high, full only from 9 to 18 August and increasingly shorter stays in this month, with an average duration that is reduced by a good 2.1 nights”.
For the summer of 2024, forecasts indicate a turnover – for the national seaside sector in its complexity – of 33 billion 191 million euros, essentially stable (+0.4%) compared to the 2023 summer season and increasing by 4.2%. compared to the 2019 summer season (therefore in the pre-Covid era).
“It is important to consider – explains Massimo Feruzzi, head of JFC and the Observatory – that these increases in turnover are not linear with the increase in holiday prices, meaning that there is, on the part of our compatriots and also foreign guests , a stronger focus on spending”. Specifically, for the summer of 2024 a turnover is expected as follows: that generated by Italian customers will be 23 billion 707 million with a decrease of 4.2% on the final data for summer 2023. The turnover generated by foreign customers will be 9 billion 484 million euros, with an increase of +14.3% on the final data for summer 2023.
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