A record-breaking summer is on the cards in Veneto

The summer of 2026 could see new tourism records set in Veneto. “The latest forecasts confirm a positive outlook for the rest of the month as well ,” said Lucas Pavanetto, Vice-President of the Region and Regional Councillor for Tourism, “with occupancy figures as at 31 August very close to the established levels of 2025 for spas and seaside campsites, and already reached for cities of art. Mountain resorts are also holding up well, with stability already confirmed for the entire first half of September.”

According to preliminary figures, the start of the tourist season in the region has seen an upward trend. During the week of Ferragosto, the peak season, the occupancy rate for campsites reached 94.6 per cent for seaside sites and 87.8 per cent for lakeside sites. This was followed by hotels by the sea (88.2 per cent), lakeside (86.7 per cent) and in the mountains (82.8 per cent); spa resorts recorded 70.3 per cent, and cities of art 65.4 per cent. “This trend,” comments Pavanetto, “is in line with the usual dip seen in mid-August.” Furthermore, last-minute bookings for the most popular destinations are down. “This suggests that the particularly high temperatures have influenced travellers’ choices.” Provisional data from the Regional Statistical System (Sistar) show over 2.6 million arrivals and 9.8 million overnight stays in June, with international visitors accounting for over 1.8 million arrivals (70 per cent of the total) and 7.1 million overnight stays. In the first half of 2026, arrivals rose by +0.6 per cent and overnight stays by +1.6 per cent. The most significant increase was in the lake district, followed by the mountains and cities of art, whilst seaside destinations remained largely stable and spa resorts saw a decline. The slight decrease in domestic visitor numbers was offset by an increase in international visitors, with a 1.7 per cent rise in arrivals and a 3.1 per cent rise in overnight stays, driven mainly by Germans (+4.8 per cent), Americans (+6.4 per cent), British visitors (+8 per cent) and Dutch visitors (+10.3 per cent).

“The trends between late July and early August, observed thanks to the Veneto Regional Federation of Tourism and HBenchmark accommodation data, in collaboration with Federalberghi Veneto and Faita Veneto,” adds Pavanetto, “show that seaside resorts recorded occupancy levels of over 85 per cent in hotels, and campsites at over 92 per cent in early August. Lakeside destinations are also performing well, at 87.8 per cent in the hotel sector and around 88 per cent in the open-air accommodation sector. Mountain resorts are showing an upward trend, rising from 70 per cent at the end of July to 75 per cent in the first week of August, as are the spas, which have been steadily rising from 52 per cent to 58 per cent. The cities of art are maintaining stable occupancy rates of around 70 per cent.”

As regards spending trends, according to July data provided by Mastercard, Lake Garda leads the way with 18 per cent of regional spending, followed by Venice with around 14 per cent, then Jesolo with 12 per cent, Verona with 10 per cent and Treviso with around 8.5 per cent. The international market accounts for 61 per cent of total spending, whilst the domestic market accounts for 39 per cent. Spending by tourists and day-trippers in July rose by 23 per cent compared with June and by 6 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.