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Tourism Trends in Italy and Growth Drivers

Tourism in Italy 2025: average spending by foreign travelers reaches €930, up 7% from 2024
02/07/2025 Ricerca Divulgativa Download PDF
  • Tourism in Italy continues to grow: an annual surplus of €8 billion is estimated, with direct benefits to GDP and employment in the tourism sector and related industries, such as transport and craftsmanship.
  • In March 2025: €3.2 billion was spent by foreign tourists in Italy (+7% compared to 2024), driven especially by the United States, Germany, and France.
  • Average spending per foreign traveler in Italy has reached €930: accommodation (42% of total spending), food and beverage (26%), shopping and culture (18%).
  • Rome, boosted by the Jubilee, exceeded 15 million foreign arrivals in the first half of 2025, generating €11.6 billion in tourism spending.
  • Northern Italy leads in number of stays (54% of the total), Central Italy in average spending (€820/night), while the South and the Islands confirm themselves as summer destinations with occupancy peaks of 82%.
  • However, the number of Italians choosing Italy as a travel destination is declining, hampered by rising prices (+4.8%) and a growing interest in foreign destinations (Spain, Greece, Morocco, Egypt).
  • Increasingly emerging are the profiles of the slow, eco-conscious, and experiential tourist, seeking authenticity and places far from mass tourism.
  • Destagionalization, villages and rural and natural areas, proximity tourism and slow tourism, greater attention to sustainability and ESG practices—this is what Italy must focus on.

Italian tourism confirms itself as a pillar of the national economy: in March 2025 alone the tourism balance recorded a surplus of €600 million, thanks to foreign tourists’ spending in Italy amounting to €3.2 billion, up 7% compared to the previous year. The average spending per traveler reached €930; the sectors with the highest spending intensity were: accommodation (42% of total spending), food and beverage (26%), shopping and culture (18%). However, the number of Italians choosing overseas destinations is also growing: +8%, generating €2.6 billion in spending.

According to Valerio Mancini, Director of the Divulgative Research Centre of the Rome Business School and author of the report “Trends in Tourism in Italy and Growth Drivers”: to increase Italy’s attractiveness it is necessary to focus on: destagionalization, villages and rural and natural areas, proximity tourism and slow tourism, and to pay greater attention to sustainability and ESG practices in the various sectors of tourism.

Indeed, according to analyses, in the first quarter of 2025 tourist flows show differentiated dynamics: overnight stays in hotel establishments decreased by 1.8%, while extra‑hotel facilities recorded an increase of 3.5%. In January, revenue for accommodation and catering services saw a slight overall decline (‑0.3%), but the accommodation sector grew by 4.4%. At the same time, tourists show a growing preference for more authentic experiences, favoring villages, hiking, slow and sustainable tourism, in addition to traditional art cities. Villages and lesser‑known but at the same time more authentic and genuine destinations played a fundamental role. Festivals and local fairs, in fact, already in 2024 recorded an attendance increase of +63.8% compared to 2023, mostly by young people (31%) and families (45%).

According to ISTAT and Bank of Italy data (March 2025), foreign tourist overnight stays in 2024 exceeded 250 million, with growth of +6.8% compared to 2023, representing over 54.6% of the national total. Driving this performance were visitors from the United States, Germany, and France, who increased both the length of stay and per‑capita spending. If the positive incoming trend continues, estimates for the entire 2025 indicate an annual surplus of more than €8 billion, with direct benefits for employment, GDP, and the entire related supply chain, from transport to craftsmanship to local production.

Center leads in spending quality, North in number of stays, South in the summer season

Central Italy recorded 130.5 million nights and the highest average spending in the country (€820 per night). According to ISTAT data (2025), Lazio led the national rankings with 22.8 million arrivals and over 82 million overnight stays, driven by the Jubilee and the capital, which exceeded 15 million foreign arrivals in the first half of 2025, generating €11.6 billion in tourism spending. Tuscany, with slightly lower volumes, stands out for the highest total spending: €19 billion, with per‑capita spending exceeding €1,060, indicative of high‑end tourism.

Northern Italy is instead first for tourist stays: 54% of the total, equal to about 246.8 million nights, with average spending per night of €780. Veneto, with 21.3 million arrivals and 81.7 million stays, remains one of the main destinations thanks to hubs such as Venice and Lake Garda. Lombardy, thanks to Milan’s attractiveness and its business and trade fair offerings, recorded 16.9 million arrivals and stands out for an average spending per tourist of €805, for a total spending of €9.2 billion.

In the South and the Islands, despite a 1.5% decrease in stays compared to 2023, the 2024 summer season recorded an occupancy rate of 82%, the highest in Italy together with seaside destinations. Naples is growing strongly, and in 2025 is expected to reach 18 million visitors, an increase of over 4.5 million compared to the previous year.

Domestic tourism slows: Italians prefer destinations such as Spain, Morocco, and Egypt

In the first quarter of 2025, according to Eurostat, nights spent by international tourists in Italy grew by 1.1%, while those by domestic travelers fell by 1.3% compared to the same period in 2024. A two‑speed trend: on one hand, increasing openness to the global market, favored by a weak euro, stable air connections, and strong cultural appeal; on the other, a slowdown in domestic demand, hampered by price increases in Italian facilities (+4.8% in the early months of 2025, according to Federalberghi) and renewed interest among Italians in foreign destinations such as Spain, Greece, Morocco, and Egypt.

In light of these data, it appears clear the need to adopt an integrated strategy to make Italian tourism more resilient, sustainable, and competitive,” says Mancini.

The emerging trends require a structured response aimed at destagionalizing demand and promoting travel beyond major cities, enhancing villages, rural areas, and natural landscapes through targeted campaigns.

At the same time, Italy must diversify source markets, because strong dependence on certain European countries makes the system vulnerable to external shocks. It is therefore necessary to open more to markets such as India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, with investments in transport links, visas, and a more inclusive and flexible offering. Finally, strengthening domestic tourism remains a strategic priority, particularly to support areas that are less reachable by international tourism. Measures such as vouchers for families and over‑65s, regional transport incentives, and heritage‑education initiatives in schools can stimulate a more aware and continuous internal demand. Digital promotion also plays a key role: short and proximity trips are gaining importance and represent a fundamental lever for the revival of local tourism.

Sustainable and slow tourism as a strategic lever for territories and businesses

Demand for low‑environmental‑impact experiences is increasing, as is the share of eco‑conscious travelers choosing facilities with renewable energy, waste management, and km‑zero gastronomy. According to Booking’s Sustainable Travel Report (2024): 83% of travelers consider it important to travel sustainably, and 75% declare they intend to do so in the next 12 months. Rural and experiential tourism is also gaining ground: ENIT reports a +63.8% attendance at local festivals and folk celebrations, especially among youth (31%) and families (45%); the “slow” tourist profile is emerging more clearly: 78% of Italians are interested in slow travel, nature walks, and off‑season stays, and they rank Italy as the top slow‑tourism destination in many markets: preferred by British travelers (65%) and French travelers (51%).

Investing in rural and mountain tourism means generating value in a widespread way, supporting local identity, and building a credible alternative to mass‑tourism models,” says Valerio Mancini.

The involvement of local communities is what makes slow tourism not only an economic opportunity but also a social and cultural one. However, to transform this potential into systemic impact, it is essential that tourism businesses structurally adopt ESG criteria: reducing environmental impact, social inclusion, and responsible governance. Inclusive hospitality, staff empowerment, and transparency in business practices are today distinctive elements for an offering that truly wants to be sustainable and competitive in the medium to long term.

The real challenge will be to ensure that every euro spent generates value for local communities, respect for the environment, and new opportunities for the business system. As experiences already underway show—from experiential tourism to the development of the diffused hotel—it is from territory-rooted models that Italy’s tourism of tomorrow can emerge: inclusive, regenerative, and long‑term oriented,” concludes Mancini.