The South and cities of art: how tourism has changed with the arrival of foreign visitors

In 1962, foreign visitors made up the majority only in Trentino-Alto Adige and Lazio, thanks to their proximity to Germany and Rome’s global appeal; today they account for 55.6 per cent of total visitor numbers and represent over 50 per cent in 11 regions, whilst continuing to be concentrated in a few destinations and in major cities of art in Italia. This concentration is reflected in the proportion of overnight stays by foreign visitors recorded in Lazio (71.6 per cent), in Veneto (70.7 per cent), Lombardy (68.1 per cent) and Tuscany (59.2 per cent).

It is no coincidence that Lazio recorded an increase of 45 million visitor numbers, of which 34.9 million were foreign visitors, or that Lombardy recorded an increase of 33.1 million, of which 30.4 million were foreign visitors. The same trend applies to Veneto: +44.3 million, of which 39.4 million were foreign visitors. It is worth noting that Liguria lost almost exclusively Italian visitors, whilst foreign visitor numbers remained stable (-0.1 million).

The mix of foreign tourists in Italia has changed. ‘In 1962,’ explains Istat, ‘when foreign visitors accounted for just over 30 per cent of the total, almost 85 per cent of these came from seven countries, and Germany alone accounted for almost four out of every ten foreign visitors; in 2025 (with foreign visitors now in the majority), 42 per cent will come from other countries, and the non-European share will account for a quarter of the total.”

There has been discussion of the impact of technology on the internationalisation of tourism in Italia. Between 2018 and 2024, the number of nights booked in accommodation via the main four platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group and TripAdvisor) have almost doubled (+92 per cent), rising from around 66 million to nearly 127 million. Istat also analyses the composition of demand: around three out of every four nights booked via these platforms are attributable to foreign customers.

Taking into account stays in non-hotel accommodation, which are almost always booked online, the total for 2025 stands at 535 million.

Between 2015 and 2025 Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence have consistently held the top four places in terms of visitor numbers, reinforcing their role as national tourist hubs. Over the course of ten years, their share of the Italian total has increased by three percentage points, reaching 17.2 per cent. This entire increase is driven by Rome, which in 2025 alone accounts for 9.4 per cent of total visitor numbers. Over the same period Naples has improved its position, rising from 15th to 12th place in the ranking of the most visited municipalities.

In the main tourist centres, the foreign presence is now predominant: by 2025, it will account for over three-quarters of visitors to Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence, and just over 60 per cent in Naples.