Increase in the number of Italians travelling for the long Easter weekend

Record-breaking. Calendar in hand, it promises to be a record-breaking bridge that begins next week and the luckiest budget permitting will manage to squeeze in a couple of weeks' holiday using only four days off. A favourable conjunction that for many will clash with high transport prices.

According to Federalberghi forecasts, 11.3 million Italians will be travelling for Easter, last year it was 10.5 million, which will fuel a 4.9 billion business compared to 3.9 billion in 2024. These are concrete signs of an improvement in sentiment, to which we must add another fact: 2.7 million fellow citizens will make the long weekend that will last until 1 May. These are the forecasts of Federalberghi in view of the Easter period.

The hot day for departures will be Good Friday, with around 5 million Italians setting off: the overwhelming majority, 88%, will remain in Italy because the calendar encourages them to treat themselves to a trip abroad that can last up to two weeks. For those staying in Italy, it will be the stay at the home of relatives or friends that will be the most popular accommodation formula, but the hotel solution will also register an increase, confirming its solidity among travellers' preferences.

"Italians' choices during the Easter holidays represent an important test for the sector in order to imagine the trend of the upcoming summer season," said Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi, commenting on the results of the survey carried out by Tecnè on behalf of the Federation. - It is interesting to note the punctuality with which travellers planned their departures: in fact, according to our research, travellers' bookings were made well in advance. A trend that seems to be picking up again, after having suffered a setback due to the general disorientation caused at the time by the pandemic. This snapshot of the tourist movement of our fellow citizens over Easter should be seen as an excellent sign of recovery, especially in relation to the performance of the 'white quarter', a period linked to the weeks on the snow during which there had been a drop in admissions".

According to the survey, around 88% of respondents will stay in Italy, while 12% will choose a foreign location. The favourite destinations for travellers staying in Italy will be the sea (34.9%), mountains (23.9%), art resorts (18.5%), followed by lakes (5.5%) and spa resorts (1.3%). For those going abroad, favoured by the proximity of the spring long weekends, the big European capitals win (76.6%), followed by non-European capitals (13.2%), cruise travel (5.7%) and seaside resorts (4.5%). To stay, in addition to the homes of friends and relatives (42.4%), 15.6% will choose hotels and holiday villages, finishing with bed & breakfasts (14.4%) and own homes (7.7%).