Tourism, Santanchè: '100 million presences in the first four months'

Arrivals from abroad drive tourism growth. Between January and April the share of bookings received by hotels and non-hotel facilities is close to 50% thanks to increased demand from Germany, France and Switzerland. This is what emerges from the Isnart survey for Unioncamere and Enit as part of the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce. A result to which the Winter Games contribute. In February, estimates indicate a room occupancy rate between 70 and 85%. Then there is the post-Olympics effect that will be seen in the next few months with 60% of bookings.

"Major events, sporting and otherwise, reconfirm themselves as a huge catalyst of tourist and economic flows and their propulsive effects also reverberate in the growth of presences that, according to the predictive model of the Ministry of Tourism, are estimated at over 100 million in the first four months of 2026 - said Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism, yesterday -. Events such as the Jubilee or the Olympics increase the appeal of Italian destinations and are powerful attractors of investments and infrastructures for the benefit of territories and communities".

Above all, the growth of foreign demand is confirmed, which makes up 48% of tourist flows, amounting to an estimated 431 million presences in the Peninsula's destinations by 2025. Foreign customers have a greater spending capacity for restaurants, typical products, shopping, culture, events and entertainment with an average daily budget in the area of 72 euro for accommodation and 105 euro for other expenses. Overall, the value of tourist spending by foreign guests is estimated at 60 billion, consolidating the growing trend of recent years which sees a +3% increase in value over 2024 and a +34% increase over 2023. A key contribution considering that the enlarged tourism chain has had an economic impact of nearly 109 billion with almost 891 million presences between hotel and non-hotel accommodation.

With regard to the latter type of stay, Enit, Isnart and Unioncamere take up data from AirDnA, which records 6.7 million nights booked through the Airbnb portal between March and next June. For the high season months such as July and August, another 4 million nights have already been booked. "Italia is expressing its full potential in terms of tourism with international travellers increasingly choosing our destinations, contributing to the social and economic development of inland areas as well," notes Ivana Jelinic, Enit's CEO.

Italia is preferred for its cultural offerings, which for the fourth consecutive year is the number one travel motivation. This is followed by food and wine tourism, including tastings and excellent restaurants, and third place for outdoor tourism.