Do you know how many tourists come to Italy each year? How much do they make in GDP? These are some statistics about travel and tourism in Italy!
Italy is a dream destination for architecture, culture, and fashion lovers.
It’s also a fantastic country for road trips, and lots of people like to rent campervans in Italy as they explore multiple places.
Indeed, Italy appeals to different types of travellers, no matter your interest.
Did you know it’s the third most visited country in Europe?
If you want to understand more about travel and tourism in Italy, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve compiled these interesting facts and statistics for you.
Let’s dive right in!
Sources: We have included the source for each statistic, and feel free to head to the end of this post for the complete list of articles and sources used.
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In 2019, there were 64.8 million annual visitor arrivals in Italy.
How much does tourism contribute to Italy?
The Italian travel and tourism industry contributed 162.6 billion euros to the country’s GDP in 2021, or equal to 9.1%.
Who visits Italy the most?
France recorded the highest number of arrivals in Italy in 2021, with 6.3 million arrivals.
Has Italy tourism increased?
Visitor arrivals in Italy was 50.5 million in December 2022, compared with 26.8 in December 2021. This is an encouraging increase from the all-time low of 16.4 million arrivals in December 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Italy Travel & Tourism Key Statistics
In 2019, Italy was the third most visited country in Europe after France and Spain.
France recorded the highest number of arrivals in Italy in 2021, with 6.3 million arrivals.
In January 2023, there were 4.1 million Italian tourists traveling abroad, up from 3.6 million in January 2022.
In terms of travel spending, France was the leading outbound travel market for Italy. Italians spent 1.64 billion euros in France.
Italian residents made 37.2 million domestic trips in 2021, compared to 54.3 million trips in Italy in 2019.
In 2021, spending by international visitors was recorded at 21.3 billion euros.
The Italian travel and tourism industry contributed 162.6 billion euros to the country’s GDP in 2021, or equal to 9.1%.
In 2022, the Italian city with the most chain hotels was Rome, with 232 hotels in total.
The Italian municipality that receive the most overnight stays in 2021 was Rome, totaling almost 9 million.
According to World Data, five cities in Italy are included in the world’s top 100 destinations, the highest ranking of which is Rome (fifth place).
Italy Inbound Tourism Travel Statistics
How many tourists visit Italy each year?
1. Visitor arrivals in Italy was 50,525,695 people in December 2022, compared with 26,888,993 in December 2021.
[CEIC]
This is an encouraging increase from the all-time low of 16,482,810 arrivals in December 2020 due to the Covid-19, but yet to reach its 2019 figure of 64.5 million.
2. In 2019, Italy was the third most visited country in Europe after France and Spain.
3. France recorded the highest number of arrivals in Italy in 2021, with 6.3 million arrivals.
[Statista]
The country that contributes the highest number of tourist arrivals in Italy was France, with 6.3 million arrivals in 2021.
4. Germany came in second place with 5.2 million tourist arrivals in Italy in 2021.
[Statista]
5. In 2021, there were 176 million overnight stays in Italy by international tourists.
[Statista]
This was an increase from 155 million in 2020, but still well below pre-pandemic levels.
6. Out of those, 33 million inbound overnight stays were for work-related trips.
[Statista]
Italy Outbound Tourism Travel Statistics
Where do Italians travel to outside of Italy?
7. In January 2023, there were 4.1 million Italian tourists traveling abroad, up from 3.6 million in January 2022.
[Statista]
8. This amounted to 16.8 million monthly overnight stays by Italian outbound travellers.
[Statista]
Once again, this was an increase from 16.2 million in January 2022.
9. Italian tourists spent 31% more in 2021 compared to 2020 when travelling overseas. The outbound tourism expenditure in 2021 was equal to 12.6 billion euros.
[Statista]
10. In terms of travel spending, France was the leading outbound travel market for Italy. Italians spent 1.64 billion euros in France.
[Statista]
11. Meanwhile, Italian travellers spent a total of 1.6 billion and 806 million euros in Spain and Germany, respectively.
[Statista]
12. In 2021, 67% of Italians in a survey claimed to travel abroad on a city trip.
[Statista]
City destinations have proven to be extremely popular for Italian holiday makers.
Domestic Tourism in Italy
Do Italians travel domestically?
13. Italian residents made 37.2 million domestic trips in 2021, compared to 54.3 million trips in Italy in 2019.
[Statista]
14. In 2021, the most popular domestic destination for overnight trips in Italy was Apulia with 28,7 million overnight stays by Italian travellers.
[Statista]
15. This was followed by Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, with around 23.4 million and 22.2 million domestic overnight stays, respectively.
[Statista]
16. Italians went on 2.4 million domestic business trips in 2021, rising by 12.7% from the previous year.
[Statista]
17. Domestic tourism spending in Italy was 107 billion euros in 2021, rising from 60.7 billion euros in 2020.
[Statista]
18. France is in the top 4 source market for backpackers in Australia.
19. In 2021, spending by international visitors was recorded at 21.3 billion euros or US$20.46 billion.
[Statista]
This was a 20% annual increase from 2020 (17.3 billion euros), but still only 45% of the international tourism spending in 2019 (44.3 billion euros).
20. The Italian travel and tourism industry contributed 162.6 billion euros to the country’s GDP in 2021, or equal to 9.1%.
[Statista]
21. In 2021, travel and tourism generated a total of 2.64 million jobs, both direct and indirect.
[Statista]
22. In terms of direct employment, in 2019, tourism provided jobs for 2.1 million people in Italy, contributing 8.8% of the country’s employment and supported 218,000 enterprises.
[OECD]
23. This includes 1.08 million employed in the food & beverages industry and 182 thousand in passenger transport.
[OECD]
24. Tourists from Germany spent the most when travelling to Italy, with 3.8 billion euros in 2021 alone.
[Statista]
This is despite the number of French tourists in Italy surpassing that of German tourists.
25. Based on spending, tourism in Italy ranks fifth worldwide.
31. In terms of hotel room price, the most expensive Italian city to stay in a four-star hotel overnight was Venice at 169.5 euros.
[Statista]
This was based on a November 2022 study, with Turin following as the second-most expensive city in Italy, costing an average of 163 euros per night. Still, it’s a tourist favorite with plenty of activities to do!
Meanwhile, when it comes to staying in luxury hotels, the Dolomites have been the most popular destination in Italy.
32. The Italian city with the highest average occupancy rate in four-star hotels is Bologna, with an occupancy rate of 87.1%.
[Statista]
33. In 2022, almost 37% of all trips made by Italians were hotel stays.
[Statista]
34. Staying with friends and relatives is the second most preferred type of accommodation by Italians, making up 30.1% of trips.
[Statista]
35. Italy is the country that has the highest number of properties awarded with a Booking.Com Travel Sustainable Badge (46,365).
40. Meanwhile, in Milan in 2022, there were a total of 6,266 non-hotel accommodations, including 122 B&Bs and 32 youth hostels.
[Statista]
41. Florence’s non-hotel accommodations increased between 2019 and 2021, from 2800 to 3900.
[Statista]
The figure incldues 700 farmhouses and 98 bed and breakfasts as of 2021.
Most Famous Destinations in Italy
Which is the most visited place in Italy?
42. The Italian municipality that receive the most overnight stays in 2021 was Rome, totaling almost 9 million.
[Statista]
Venice followed in the ranking in 2021, with around 5.7 million overnight stays. Despite the popularity of Venice, it’s still possible to experience it on a budget!
43. According to World Data, five cities in Italy are included in the world’s top 100 destinations, the highest ranking of which is Rome (fifth place).
[World Data]
44. In 2021, Milan sits in 12th place, Florence in 21st, Venice in 27th, and Verona in 59th as the most popular destinations in the world.
[World Data]
The ranking has been determined based on the attractiveness of the cities across six different areas.
Verona is the fifth most visited city in Italy, or 59th in the world. It is known for being the romantic setting of Romeo and Juliet, but also boasts a lot of other things to do.
45. In 2023, Italy ranks as the 22nd safest country in the world for tourists with a score of 87.6.
49. The number of visitors to Pompeii doubled in 2021, receiving around one million visitors in that year.
[Statista]
Behaviors in Italian Tourism
What is the behavior of Italians when travelling?
50. A survey revealed that 36% of travelers in Italy aren’t willing to splurge for pet-friendly facilities.
[Statista]
36% of Italian travellers say that they don’t want to spend more for pet-friendly facilities, as simply allowing pets in hotels and travel establishments is already enough.
51. Italians prefer to do direct bookings when traveling, which includes 46% of all accommodations booked for leisure travel in 2022.
[Statista]
52. Transports booked directly represented around 67% of bookings for business trips in Italy.
[Statista]
53. Italians who travelled for leisure took on average longer trips than those travelling for work-related reasons in 2022.
[Statista]
Holidays made by Italians last an average of 6.5 nights, compared to business trips with an average length of 3.8 nights.
54. Within Europe, Italy offers a promising source market for baby boomer travel, with 1.02 million outbound travellers in this age group.
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I'm an Economics graduate with a passion for travel. In 2016 I decided to ditch the office environment, work from my laptop and travel to every country in the world. You'll find me working out of a cafe in Bali, perhaps on a riverboat in Brazil or maybe even an airport lounge in New Delhi.
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