The summer season looks more than promising. What will happen? It cannot be ruled out that we will be able to surpass the historical record of tourist presences in our country reached in 2023 with 451 million vacationers. In fact, searches on Google to plan holidays along our peninsula increased by 5.2%.. This is demonstrated by the insights of the Ministry of Tourism which photograph trips and stays.
Holiday prices in Italy
Compared to competitors, Italy has a significant advantage: relatively low prices. Attractiveness combined with convenience makes us more competitive. The average cost of a holiday in 2024 has not seen any significant increasesunlike most European countries where it has increased. But how much does a trip to our country cost? On average between the North, Center, South and Islands, around 126 euros per night: 129 in accommodation facilities and 116 euros for short-term rentals. A figure that in Greece is around 130 euros, in France around 140 euros, while to stay overnight in Spain you can spend up to 149 euros. Among the increases observed abroad, Federturismo Confindustria reported the increase in the tourist tax in Barcelona from 2.75 euros to 3.25 euros; in Prague from 0.82 to 1.97 euros and in Athens the introduction of a climate crisis resilience tax to be charged to tourists that varies from 0.50 euros to 10 euros per night.
The unexpected boom of spa resorts
Requests to stay in spa resorts, which today represent the second most booked destination (41%) after art cities (51%), increased by 1.3% in May 2024 compared to last year. A figure that gives us hope. Furthermore, the saturation rate of their accommodation facilities increased by 6.6%. The best results were achieved by Friulians with 76.6% of available places already occupied compared to a national average of 41%. Prices vary from a minimum of less than 80 euros to over 200 euros. Which are the most expensive? In pole position is Veneto with an average of 223 euros, Emilia-Romagna with 206 euros and Lombardy with 172 euros per night. In the low-cost range, however, there is Santa Cesarea Terme in Puglia (78 euros) which, not surprisingly, ranks third in the most popular ones: the Tuscan Gambassi Terme (150 euros) and Montecatini-Terme (188 euros).
Who are the tourists and where do they go?
Over half of tourists in Italy come from abroad: 52.4%. Foreigners are concentrated mainly in the North-East, so much so that in the province of Bolzano and in Veneto their presence compared to residents in the national territory is around 70%. Few reach the South where, apart from the exception of Campania which manages to attract 4.5% of Italian and foreign holidaymakers (20 million people), the other areas are populated by domestic tourism. In general, the greatest number of presences in 2023 was recorded in the North-East: 177 million, almost 40% of the national total. Following are the Center (24%) and the North-West with 17.7%. The most sought-after regions are: Veneto (15.9%), Trentino-Alto Adige (12.4%), Tuscany (10%), Lombardy (10%) and Lazio (10%). A promising business with ample room for growth. ©
