Driving force

Tourism in Italy is booming again like before the pandemic

A dream of the sea in Sardinia(Bild: Gabriella88 - stock.adobe.com)

Tourism in our Italian neighbors has returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, one of the problems is the declining purchasing power of Italians.

In 2023, 445.3 million overnight stays were reported, an increase of 8.1% compared to the previous year. In 2019, 436.7 million overnight stays were reported, according to a study published on Monday by the tourism association "Assoturismo Confesercenti".

Tourism demand grew most strongly in the art cities (up 11.4 percent) and mountain resorts (up 11.1 percent). An increase of 10.2 percent was reported in health resorts. The growth was driven by foreign tourists. With a total of 216.8 million overnight stays, the number of Italian visitors increased by 2.8% compared to the previous year.

The approximately twelve-kilometer-long coastline of the Italian Riviera "Cinque Terre".(Bild: smallredgirl - stock.adobe.com)

Number of foreign tourists on the rise
"After three very long years, tourism is finally returning to pre-pandemic levels, also thanks to the increase in foreign tourists. This shows that the promotion of Italian tourism in foreign markets is essential," commented Vittorio Messina, President of Assoturismo Confesercenti.

"Tourism is once again proving its ability to be a driving force for the economy of the whole country, but we must continue to support it," said Messina. The difficult international context and the uncertainty of domestic demand due to a decline in the purchasing power of Italians are problematic.