Agritourism business grows to 1.6 billion

Arezzo is once again the capital of Italian agritourism with the 23rd edition of AgrieTour, kicking off today, 14 November, with more than one hundred tour operators present from 22 countries and a rural tourism offer represented by around 400 facilities.

According to the Observatory compiled by the National Exhibition of Agritourism and Multifunctional Agriculture, the sector confirms itself as "one of the most dynamic and innovative pillars of Italian tourism", with over 26,000 operating businesses that continue to grow both in terms of accommodation and ancillary activities such as catering, tasting and increasingly articulated experiences linked to the territory.
For a turnover that in 2024 exceeded 1.6 billion euro, with positive forecasts also for 2025, and above all a significant jump from the 1.2 billion recorded by the same Observatory in 2023 (probably also due to an enlargement of the activities included in the agritourism sphere).

Updated data snapshot an expanding sector: 26,169 active agritourism facilities, 81% of which offer accommodation for a total of about 303 thousand beds. Farms with catering number 13,023, with an estimated capacity of 535 thousand covers.

Tourist demand is growing strongly, with an estimated 5.1 million arrivals expected by 2025 and significant growth in foreign tourism (+100% in the last ten years), particularly from Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United States and Switzerland.

The agritourism offer - note the organisers - is enriched with complementary services: not only food and wine tastings and educational farms, but also rural experiences, sporting and cultural activities, "with a focus on short supply chains, traceability and environmental sustainability". Tourists choose agritourism "for the tranquillity, good food, conviviality, the discovery of local landscapes and traditions, and the chance to get closer to the world of agriculture".