ENIT at Duco 2023
PRESS RELEASE
ENIT AT DUCO 2023: ITALY IS A DIAMOND, A LUXURY TOURIST DESTINATION WITH OVER 7 MILLION OVERNIGHT STAYS AND 25% OF THE GLOBAL MARKET
Luxury tourism continues to grow constantly worldwide, despite the uncertain climate created by inflation and rising costs. The luxury travel market is a primary revenue driver for the tourist industry, and although it remains a niche segment, it is expected to grow faster than tourism in general.
As a luxury travel destination, Italy will be taking part in Duco Travel Italy, the first event focused on the excellence of Italian hospitality, with the participation of the world’s most important buyers in the segment. ENIT will be at the boutique travel summit with Toscana Promozione from 27 to 31 March 2023 in Florence, at the St. Regis & The Westin Excelsior, with the aim of encouraging high-end hospitality experts to engage with selected travel consultants from a number of different markets. Leading travel consultants will be meeting a mix of highly qualified, new-generation professionals, opinion makers and expert top sellers.
Luxury travel is a sector where travellers are prepared to pay a higher price to receive top-quality, exclusive services, with privacy guaranteed. This means that luxury travel can include all kinds of services, from hotel stays to sophisticated gourmet experiences, as well as exclusive outdoor activities and visits to historical and cultural sites, all of them of the finest quality.
In Italy, luxury tourism is an important source of economic growth for many regions. Tuscany, for example, is one of the favourite destinations with luxury tourists, thanks to its rich culture, breath-taking scenery and some of the most highly renowned wine estates in the world. Specifically, luxury accommodation, such as villas, castles and resorts, is the category that has recorded the biggest growth, with a 12% rise compared to 2019. Luxury tourists from abroad totalled over 3 million in 2022, spending an average of €4000 per head.
Italy remains one of the most popular destinations with luxury tourists, thanks to its rich variety of art, culture and beautiful landscapes, as well as the quality of its restaurants and hospitality. Art cities such as Florence, Venice and Rome continue to be the most popular destinations, followed by prestigious coastal and mountain locations.
In particular following the pandemic, customers in this sector will be continuing to seek privacy, space, security, quality and attention to detail. Until now, intangible factors such as uniqueness, adventure and customisation have played a crucial role in satisfying high-spending customers. Today, however, the ability to combine professional expertise and supreme comfort can prove an advantage for suppliers of luxury services. In 2020, it is estimated that luxury tourism (both domestic and international) generated revenue totalling 551 billion dollars at global level (ENIT Study Office, based on estimates by Statista).
Italy has managed to maintain a large slice (25%) of the foreign market, attracting a larger proportion of international visitors than the three destinations ahead of it in the ranking in 2020, i.e. Germany (10%), France (12%) and the UK (2%). For the 2020-2024 period, the average rise in income from domestic luxury tourism in Italy is expected to be 26%, while the figure for international luxury tourism is estimated at +31%. In 2024, international visitors are expected to account for 28% of luxury tourism.
High-end travellers are paying increasing attention to eco-sustainable holidays when it comes to choosing a destination, and are attracted to 5-star hotels able to offer advanced technology with regard to the environment. Travellers staying in 5-star hotels amounted to over 11.7 million in 2019, with international guests accounting for almost 76% of the total.
In 2020, visitors totalled just over 4 million: 2.2 million from abroad (54.9% of the total) and 1.8 million from Italy (45.1%). In 2021, the total number of nights spent amounted to 7 million, with the majority again from abroad: 59.6%, equal to 4.1 million visitors, staying an average of 3.4 nights.
“The aim is to focus on the concept of luxury as an authentic opportunity to experience Italian excellence, because true Italian luxury lies in the possibility to enjoy the country’s marvellous beauty”, believes ENIT marketing director Maria Elena Rossi. “Italy transmits luxury in different ways, according to the nation of the visitor. This cultural sensitivity in conveying these different messages embraces hidden luxury in the Netherlands, sophisticated, original luxury in France, eco-sustainable luxury in Sweden, and so on. The world of luxury is a constant for ENIT”, concludes Rossi, “even when it comes to planning influencer campaigns”.
The decision to take part in Duco places central importance on the most exclusive experiences already present within the Italian National Tourist Board campaigns and the plans of ENIT, which has always invested in luxury trade shows, including ILTM Cannes, Singapore and Bahamas, which will act as a driver to bring a fresh approach to a tourism segment in which Italy already leads the world.
Francesca Cicatelli
ENIT Press Office
Phone: (+39) 392.9225216
e-mail: francesca.cicatelli@enit.it