Mazzi: ‘Tourism is an industry. We’re ahead of Spain: we’re number one in the EU for overnight stays’

Supply chain contracts were introduced in the latest Budget Act. What have been the results?

Excellent. Our ministry has worked to secure reliable funding for investment in tourism. The scheme for energy-efficiency contracts for businesses is now in place, and we are promoting tourism by thinking in terms of the supply chain rather than individual businesses, because tourism is based on the integration of multiple services and goods. All stakeholders must find in the Ministry a stable and authoritative partner. We are managing tourism as a genuine, robust industrial platform.

What requests did you make to Minister Giorgetti regarding the budget?

I have great respect for Minister Giorgetti and for Daria Perrotta, the State Accountant General. I have asked that we view tourism through the eyes of an investor. Every euro invested in the sector flows back into the public finances through employment, consumption and tax revenue, and the tourism balance surplus confirms this month after month. I am applying the Meloni model of ensuring maximum stability, because stability is one of the greatest assets for reputation. Tourism has demonstrated its full strength: it has surpassed pre-Covid levels, created jobs and propelled Italia onto the world stage. We will increasingly enable it to make the leap from a sector to an industry, open twelve months a year, and we will do so with resources and confidence. We are well aware that this is not an expense but a strategic investment in the nation’s development.

Will you be taking action on the tourist tax? 

We have always been opposed to any tax increase. The tourist tax is a measure designed to promote and develop tourism by improving local services. For this reason, we will continue our dialogue with mayors and local councils in a constructive manner, to ascertain whether the revenue generated is actually being channelled towards the benefit of tourism and not used for purposes unrelated to the sector.

He described the EU Commission’s proposed regulation on short-term lettings as a ‘threat to the middle class’. Are restrictions needed?

I can confirm this: it is a threat to the middle class and a dangerous ban driven by ideology, because it undermines a legitimate choice made by families and threatens the full right to property of small landlords. It always starts like this, and then you never know where it will end. Bans are pointless. Even more so in the face of social change in people’s lifestyles. Instead, we need to continue along the path of serious regulation that Italia has already embarked upon, paying close attention to the availability of housing for families, young couples and students.

Unlike France and Spain, OECD data show that in 2025 the arrivals of foreign tourists in Italy in 2025 were below 2019 levels. Why?

That is not the case. In fact, as early as 2023, we had already exceeded international arrivals by 4.4 per cent. Since 2022, we have seen a steady increase in arrivals and overnight stays, as well as having overtaken France for the first time and closing the gap on Spain in terms of overnight stays. Indeed, last year, according to preliminary data released by the respective national statistical offices, with 535.5 million overnight stays, we took first place in the EU for visitor numbers, overtaking Spain. And it is precisely the figure for overnight stays that counts, because it tells us how long a tourist stays with us and how much they spend, whilst also measuring our ability to retain wealth within our regions. The figure for international arrivals, on the other hand, is abstract: even passengers who transit through, say, Paris for two hours whilst waiting for a connecting flight are counted as arrivals. Our strength lies not in getting people to pass through, but in getting them to stay. We are working towards this goal – to encourage those who have already visited to return – and we are doing so by improving services and quality.