Tourism, 56% of hospitality services sold by platforms in 2024

Luxury, sustainability and online. These were the key elements on the second day of the Ttg Travel Experience, which ends today. Online is asserting itself as the first sales channel: this year 56% of transactions linked to both hotel and non-hotel hospitality will pass through the platforms, equal to 21 billion out of a total business of 37.5 billion, up 4% linked to price increases. Online ticketing in transport touches 70% with 18.4 billion out of a total 26.3 billion. These are the figures from the Milan Polytechnic's Travel Innovation Observatory, which highlights several growth trends: hospitality sees +4% in the value of transacted business, transport +10% due to the increase in passengers, while for travel agencies and tour operators growth is 8%.

Also driving the market is the increased focus on sustainability. "Italy is improving its performance and tourism is confirming itself as a precious resource for creating wealth and new jobs," says Carlo Sangalli, president of Confcommercio. Everyone's future is at stake on sustainability. Companies are racing to adjust their standards, meeting with the appreciation of travellers, but the government must support them in this transition phase'. According to the president, the hospitality industry is evolving towards three new axes: safety, sustainability and choice. "More than a third of tourists are willing to pay more to enjoy - from hotels to restaurants and beach resorts - environmentally friendly tourism services," the president points out. Because the weight of the hospitality industry is also growing: Italy has gone from tenth to eighth place in terms of tourism expenditure generated abroad with 34 billion in a top ten led by China and the United States.

Luxury is another asset on which the centre of gravity of supply is shifting, as highlighted by the report "Luxury hospitality: emerging markets, investments and trends. Presente e futuro del settore nelle statistiche Deloitte" that highlights Italy's leadership in the European hotel market, with an annual turnover in 2023 of over 30.5 billion, reports Benedetto Puglisi, director Real estate & hospitality at Deloitte. According to the report, a new segment is emerging on the market: that of "serviced apartments", i.e. residential solutions within a condominium where typical hotel services are available such as concierge, cleaning, room service, and in common areas with spa, swimming pool, and fitness area. A relatively new market that last year generated a business of 2.4 billion, a value that places Italy in fifth place in Europe after Spain, France, Greece and the United Kingdom thanks to the availability of around 280 thousand flats. "Growth is expected in terms of both supply and demand in both Europe and Italy," Puglisi emphasises. "Projections indicate that luxury tourism in our country will grow faster than any other tourist segment. By 2028, some 130 new hotels positioned in the luxury segment are already in the pipeline'.

In the open air Club del sole will exceed 110 million in turnover this year thanks to a season with peaks in attendance in July and August. "Significant results considering the macro-economic situation, the ongoing transformations in consumption patterns and the sustained growth in prices: dynamics that have put a strain on the national economy as a whole and on incoming tourism, further weakened by periods of adverse weather conditions - explains Angelo E. Cartelli, General Manager Club del Sole -. The infrastructural and technological investments aimed at meeting the needs and expectations of the contemporary traveller allowed us to mitigate all the unfavourable contextual factors and achieve a result absolutely in line with the group's growth expectations".

Another key factor for foreign tourists is food, the consumption of Italian cuisine specialities prepared with raw materials made in Italy. The Ho.Re.Ca. sector is growing again, and in 2024 it is expected to post an increase in turnover of between 4 and 5% also thanks to tourism, which contributes significantly to the business of eating out. Among other things, Italy is the world's leading cycling destination. This is stated in a survey by the Italian Environment and Cycling Foundation, which points out that one of Eurovelo's objectives is to extend the development of long-distance cycling, particularly for tourism. The idea is to complete the construction of the network in the minimum extension of 20,000 kilometres in Italy, the national cycle network by enhancing the existing routes as much as possible. The crucial point is the level of completion of the network. This year, according to Eurovelo data, Italy is at 36 per cent against more than 90 per cent in France, Spain and Germany.