Giorgetti: Italy tenth in the world for tourism's contribution to GDP

With 257.9 billion dollars (219.65 billion euro) Italy is the tenth country in the world for the contribution of tourism to GDP in absolute terms. This was emphasised by Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti in his link to the summit of the World Travel & Tourism Council, the world's leading tourism event being held for the first time in Italy, in Rome. The minister cites the 'surprisingly positive data' contained in the report of the Wttc and adds: 'We want to and can do even better'.

"The tourism," recalls Giorgetti, "has played a counter-cyclical and, so to speak, economic stabilising role. In the face of the difficulties on the global value chains that have affected the manufacturing sector, tourism - together with other service components - has supported the GDP trend, recording linear growth'. This trend, adds Giorgetti, 'is confirmed by the data for the summer of 2025: in an uncertain international context, stays in Italy increased by 6.22% compared to 2024, with growth in both Italian and foreign stays, distributed geographically as well as by type of accommodation facility. The previous quarter had also recorded a 4.7% growth, highlighting the progressive seasonal adjustment of stays'. He adds: 'Even on a microeconomic level, the sector's 'stabilising' role is evident. Tourism activities are characterised by low barriers to entry; that is, the cost of investment for a new entrepreneur is, in relative terms, lower. This characteristic, combined with the sense of entrepreneurship that characterises Italians, has meant that more and more people in recent years have found new, sometimes unhoped-for job opportunities thanks to tourism'.

For Giorgetti, the priorities for the sector are 'infrastructure investments, training and digitalisation'. With regard to infrastructural investments, he said, their planning, starting with transport, "must also incorporate the variable of tourism demand". For training, 'modern tourism schools are needed' for both technical and managerial training: 'This is an area on which public institutions must work alongside industry players to align needs but also to immediately open the doors of the labour market to students.

The third priority, Giorgetti continued, is 'investment in digitisation': 'If we look back over the past 20 years, we see that those operators who have understood the potential of digital platforms have become the big winners in the transformation of the industry. In the era of artificial intelligence this challenge doubles: only those who take a proactive approach to technology innovation will remain competitive'. Operators - is Giorgetti's invitation - must "cooperate" to achieve "scale to be able to meet this challenge"..