2023 summer, nearly 2 million airport arrivals in Italy
PRESS RELEASE
2023 SUMMER, NEARLY 2 MILLION AIRPORT ARRIVALS IN ITALY
84 PERCENT OF TOURISTS WILL BE INTERNATIONAL AND 16 PERCENT ITALIAN
TOURISM MINISTER DANIELA SANTANCHE’: IMPORTANT SIGNALS FROM SUMMER SEASON DATA. TOURISM SECTOR IS KEY TO THE NATION'S GROWTH
The Italian summer season is shaping up nicely. According to ENIT estimates based on Data Appeal and UNWTO data for the summer period, at least 1,844,000 airport passengers are expected in Italy, 84% of whom are of international origin and 16% Italian. At least 944,000 arrivals are expected in June, an increase of +8.6% compared to 2022.
The first quarter of 2023 already showed the first signs of significant growth in arrivals. Between January and March 2023, international tourism increased by +86% compared to the same period in 2022. Some 235 million tourists travelled abroad. International travellers in Italy number about 15 million, an increase of +42.0% over 2022 and a recovery of 87.7% compared to the same period in 2019.
People choose Italy above all as a holiday destination (around 30% of travellers) and for business (21.4%). But they also come to visit relatives and friends (14.6%) and for shopping (11.8%). Of the total arrivals, 71.7% came from EU countries, mainly France and Germany and 18.3% from outside Europe, mainly from the UK. According to UNWTO estimates, in Q1 2023, international arrivals reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels (-20% compared to January-March 2019), supported by strong performance in Europe (-10%) and the Middle East (+15%).
The short-term outlook on international tourism, especially in the months leading up to the summer season, far exceeds those for 2022. Overall, almost 70% of experts expect better performance for travel between May and August. Fifty percent expect a better result, while 19% are even more optimistic.
When deciding on a holiday, above all, tourists take into account value for money, with a more cautious attitude towards spending, and the proximity of the holiday location from home, favouring short distances.
Italy especially appeals to Americans. In fact, the USA is the leading source market, accounting for 26.3% of the foreign total for the quarter. Also at the top of the podium are France (6.1%) and Spain (4.7%), which together account for 11%. In the rest of the top ten, travellers from overseas also include Australia, which ranks fifth (4.1%) and Canada seventh (3.8%). They are followed by Brazil (2.8%), South Korea (1.9%) and Argentina (1.7%). Australians stay an average of 25 nights, Argentines around 20. Canadians, like Brazilians, stay around 15 nights while the average stay of Americans in Italy is around 12 nights. Koreans stay just over one week.
People arrive in Italy predominantly in couples. Airline reservations are predominantly for 2 passengers (32.3%) and small groups of 3 to 5 persons (28.3%). Individual travellers account for 27.3%. Eighty percent of international airport arrivals are expected in Rome FCO and Milan, distributed equally.
As for accommodation facilities booked online, they are already over 40 percent occupied in June (July 27.9%; August 21.8%). At the moment, the lake sector is the most popular with an OTA saturation of 36.2%. This is followed by the seaside sector with 33.7% and art cities with 33.1%. The current occupancy rate for mountains (30.2%) and spas (27%) is slightly lower than the overall national average.
“Italy is maintaining a very high performance, we are going to have a thriving summer with a return of all international visitors, and this pushes us to even higher performance in terms of offer and hospitality,” according to Daniela Santachè, Minister of Tourism.
“Italy is maintaining very high performance. We are going to have a thriving summer with a return of all international arrivals and this is driving better and better performance in terms of offers and hospitality,” says Ivana Jelinic ENIT President and CEO.