Where will Italians be Vacationing in 2022?
Fifth country in the world, and third in Europe, in terms of worldwide international tourist arrivals, Italy attracts millions of tourists every year thanks to its fascinating culture, natural landscapes, artistic sites, and renowned cuisine. When looking at the most popular destinations, Rome, Venice, Milan, and Florence were the leading municipalities in Italy by number of overnight stays as of 2019, with Rome having over double the amount of the overnight stays compared to other leading municipalities. New research for the 2022 summer holiday travel in Italy reveals where Italian travelers will be heading for their holiday. In the summer of 2022, Italians like to go back to places that they already visited. And mostly in Italy: Italy is confirmed as the main destination (84.2%). italy vacation
In fact – according to the data collected by Italy’s Enit Research Department – only four out of ten interviewees declare that they intend to visit a new place. Those who leave tend to choose nearby locations, within their own region (3 out of 10) or in neighboring ones. With the exception of Sardinia, the other Regions have the most significant basin of tourist flows (and travel intentions) generated by the residents of the same geographical macro-region.
It’s the car the most used way to reach the holiday resorts (66%).
Six out of ten Italians (58.9%), among those who have declared to go on a trip this summer, will not give up their August stay.
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- Alberobello is a small Italian town like any other at a first glance. The streets are narrow and hilly, houses are white, the weather is pleasant and life is slow. But if you take a closer look to some of the houses, you will think you landed in a fantasy book. Small houses with conical roofs are dotted everywhere around you
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- With stunning landscapes, historical sites, and sandy beaches, this Italian island has something for everyone. Sardinia has some of the dreamiest beaches you’ll find without stepping off European shores. Yes, the sand really is that white, and the sea the bluest blue
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- This massive island is where you’ll find the magnificent cities of Palermo, Catania, Syracuse, and Marsala. Traversing its lush landscapes will lead you to discover majestic Norman castles, vestiges of Ancient Greece, the towering Mount Etna, and the pristine beaches of Isola Bella, and the five thousand rock-cut chamber tombs of the Necropolis of Pantalica
Italy is confirmed as the main destination (84.2%). The sea wins over other destinations (72.4%) with an increase in interest in the outdoors and tourism in nature.
Choices that lead the ranking of preference destinations are Sicily (11.5%), Puglia (10%), Emilia-Romagna (8.4%), Sardinia (7.2%), Campania (6.4%) , Tuscany (5.3%) and Calabria (5.1%).
“Italian travelers recognize their country’s significant hospitality capacity which also guides their preference. The good climate (41.6%), the places where you can spend quality time with your loved ones (28.3%), and be in contact with nature (25.8%) also affect the choice to stay in Italy. The travel experience, which guides the demand, ranges from the possibility of culturally enriching oneself (14.4%), to that of taking care of the spirit and body (13.8%) and spending moments of relaxation in the open air (12.2%) “comments  Roberta Garibaldi, CEO of Enit.
Outbound and domestic tourism in Italy italy vacation
The consequences of the pandemic on the tourism industry could also be seen in the changes in the Italians’ travel habits. In 2021, the expenditure of Italian tourists abroad was about 13 billion euros, an increase of over 30 percent over the previous year. While this hints at a recovery of the sector, it is still far from the 2019 pre-pandemic value of around 27 billion euros. Meanwhile, the domestic tourism expenditure saw a dip of about 40 percent between 2019 and 2020, as Italy was one of the most severely affected countries by COVID-19. In 2021, however, as the country began to open up but international travel restrictions were still in place, Italians spent 107 billion euros traveling domestically, the highest value of the last three years.
