Tourism, Piedmont does not break through 'New investments are needed'

Apart from Turin, the Lakes and the Langhe, Piedmont still needs to consolidate its vocation as a tourist destination by investing in accommodation, services and new proposals. This is one of the keys to understanding tourism in the North-West that emerged during an in-depth study organised by the Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industries) of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, in collaboration with Unioncamere Piemonte.

The study edited by Beppe Russo, head of the Einaudi Centre, highlights an indicator - tourism intensity, which is the presence/residents quotient - that completes the usual analysis made from data on presences and arrivals and makes it possible to assess the impact of tourism in the economic dynamics of the various territories. Well, if we look at the area as a whole, tourism intensity has improved over the years, rising from an indicator of 3.7 to 4.8 against an Italian average of 9.3, but it has not exceeded the threshold that defines tourism as a true economic base (above 10) but relegates it to 'additional integration'. The panorama changes radically if we look at the individual regions: Valle d'Aosta registers an indicator of 30 and exceeds the benchmark represented by the North-East, Liguria marks its historical record (10.7) while Piedmont stops at 3.4. The study also shows how tourism helps to sustain the economic situation even if the sector still invests little in its future, as the dynamics of loans tell us: since 2011, nominal bank loans to the tourism sector in the North-West regions have gone from three and a half billion to 2.1, with a negative peak, for Piedmont, from 2021, a contained and constant drop for Liguria and a growth instead in Valle d'Aosta. The latest available data on added value sets the contribution of companies operating in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors at 8.3 billion, 4.7% of GDP on average, with a higher share in Valle d'Aosta and a lower one in Piedmont, with over 160 thousand employees, 6% of the total.

In the area from 2008 to 2023, admissions increased by 18% - 5.3 million in absolute value - while the average in Italy was +20%. The performance of foreign visitors was decidedly more brilliant, growing by 70% over the period, in this case better than the Italian average (+45%). The analysis carried out by Nomisma based on Unicredit input on the three regions establishes some solid points: Liguria, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta totalled 12.1 million tourist arrivals in 2023, equal to 12% of the national total. Of these 5.5 million were foreigners, 45% of the total. As of 2019, it is foreigners who are driving the growth of tourism, while the share of domestic visitors is stable at 6.6 million arrivals. In the three regions there are 13,559 accommodation establishments, from 2019 to 2023 the number of hotels fell, from 3,200 to 3,000, while the number of extra-hotels rose, to 10,500. Turin and Genoa are again the two cities with the most accommodation establishments, 535 and 511 respectively.

For Piedmontese operators, a regional strategy is needed to define the development lines of a sector that still has a long way to go. "Tourism is an industry in all respects, we need a new regional strategic plan in Piedmont," pointed out Gianni Filippa, president of Confindustria Novara Vercelli Valsesia and vice-president of Confindustria Piedmont. "We need clear guidelines, otherwise we are putting a heritage at risk,' said Filippa, who listed the main priorities for Piedmontese operators: speeding up digitalisation, working on sustainability and staff reskilling. 'We have initiated a series of discussions with the Atl, consortia, and other operators, both public and private,' emphasised regional councillor Marina Chiarelli, 'with whom we are working on the drafting of the new tourism business plan for the three-year period 2025-2027. The Region has so far fielded instruments that have yielded good results. So much so that tourism's contribution to the overall regional wealth has grown over the last five years, but we have further margins for growth'.