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.
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.
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.