It is a record attendance, foreigners fill the cities of Italy
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Record tourist presences in the cities of Italy in the first six months of 2023 and almost always the levels of 2019 are exceeded. Milan recorded just over 4 million arrivals in the city which exceed 5.5 million considering the urban area. May is the best month ever for presences both in the city (790,281, +22% on 2019) and in the urban area (1,096,475, +15%) while June 2023 closes with 752,695 arrivals in the city (+18% on 2019 ) and 1,034,638 in the urban area (+11%). Summer promises more records thanks to major sporting events and competitions that will attract enthusiasts from all over the world. It starts with the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup (July 21-23), to continue with the Fencing World Championships (July 22-30) and the European Equestrian Sports Championships (August 29-September 3). “Overcoming pre-Covid levels every month, with the historic peak of arrivals in May, the month with the highest number of tourists ever reached before, demonstrates that Milan has not lost interest in the pandemic period – comments Martina Riva, Councilor for City tourism -. If 2022 was the year of the recovery of tourism in the Lombard capital, 2023 is proving to be able to keep up and improve the 2019 performances, aiming to become the new benchmark”.
Foreigners dominate
Between art, culture, food and wine and nature, Tuscany is preparing for a record attendance thanks to the incoming. According to a survey commissioned by Toscana Promozione Turistica and conducted by the Centro Studi Turistici of Florence, presented at Palazzo Strozzi Sacrati, seat of the presidency of the Region. Estimates certify the signs of growth recorded in the first five months of 2023 and indicate further expansion thanks above all to booking requests from abroad. In the summer, the market share of international demand will once again exceed 50% (it was 37% a year ago), with presences well beyond those of 2019. They will above all be European tourists attracted by the sea, cities of art and villages, but signals of growth also come from some non-European markets. Estimates for the summer indicate +4.7% of arrivals and +4.3% of overnight stays compared to 2022. In absolute values, the figure could reach over 5.9 million arrivals and over 23.9 million overnight stays, exceeding pre-pandemic results and over 12 million will be guests from abroad. Hoteliers report a marked increase in booking requests from foreign markets (+8%). The prospects for non-hotel structures are also positive (+3.8%), with companies operating in cities and art centers should register the best performances (+9.2%). As far as origin is concerned, the greatest increases are linked to arrivals from the USA but also the traditional European ones are confirmed: French, Dutch, German, Swiss, Austrian, British, Belgian, Polish, Spanish and Scandinavian. Among the non-European ones, an increase is also expected for Canada and Brazil and a recovery in Asian bookings such as China, Japan, India.
Who will win the match Turin – Naples?
Turin and Naples, two non-standard destinations but rich in artistic treasures, museums and charm. Forecasts for hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, tour operators and congress operators in the former capital of Sabaudia are in a positive area until September with optimistic/pessimistic balances in line with the previous surveys. This is revealed by the focus carried out by the Industrial Union of Turin on the occasion of the traditional economic survey.
The trends for Naples are quite different where in the first half of the year, according to data from the local Federalberghi, the average room occupancy rate exceeded 78%, with an increase compared to the same period (January-June) last year of almost 10% (68.5%). A real boom for the Campania capital where in June the room occupancy rate was close to 90%, a trend facilitated by concerts, exhibitions without forgetting the grandiose party to celebrate the Napoli championship. The increase in the average stay was significant, approaching three nights. The mix of customers sees a perfect balance between Italians and foreigners. The Americans take the lead, followed by the French and Japanese. A success that Naples is trying to consolidate with the increase in the supply of beds and the opening, in the next few years, of three hotels of international brands, and work to improve services.
Bernabò Bocca’s reflection
The hospitality industry is experiencing its hottest months but Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi, looks to 2024 and asks himself “what will happen next year?”. According to Bocca we are facing “significant growth but in my opinion it is not healthy growth, which would be 8-10%, but not when there are such violent spurts, at the moment the cities of art are above 25 % compared to last year, the theme is to see what will happen next year». For the president of Federalberghi «a we have become a single market – says Bocca -. We are doing very well on the American market, so the Italian destinations that thrive on that type of tourism are doing very well, such as Rome, Florence, Venice where it is difficult to walk vice versa, the rest of Italy that thrives on Italian and also European tourism they have difficulty”. Then there is the remote comparison with non-hotel hospitality, especially B&Bs. «In Rome there is no door through which tourists with trolleys do not come out. A minimum internship is required. I can rent a hotel for just one night. For tourist rentals, a minimum period of three nights is required. Because these establishments which have undoubted advantages cannot compete with dry night hotels».
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