If last year the calendar had clipped the wings of the bridge of the immaculate, thanks to a holiday falling on a Sunday, 2025 completely changes the scenario. This year the scene returns on December 8th and, falling on Monday, it turns into a real trampoline towards the first big winter weekend, the one that officially inaugurates the cold holiday season.
The result is a wave of departures that promises large movements with millions of Italians are ready to exploit every available hour of this long weekend. And all industry observers, from Confcommercio to Federalberghi, to Confesercenti and Cna, agree on one point: the 2025 Immaculate Conception long weekend promises to be one of the liveliest and busiest in recent years.
A country on the move: between 8 and 14 million travellers
According l 'Confcommercio Tourism Observatory, they will be 8 million Italians leaving, one million more than last year. The survey conducted by Tecnè for Federalberghi further expands the picture: 13,9 million people They will take a vacation these days, taking advantage of the favorable calendar.
The distribution of departures confirms the "extensive" nature of the bridge: 6,5 million will leave as early as December 5th, while 4,9 million will travel the following day. CNA Tourism and Commerce estimates a total of 11 million people will travel between December 6th and 8th, with the first wave of tourists arriving as early as the afternoon of the 5th.
The lure of Italy: cities of art and mountains at the forefront
La Most travellers will stay within national borders. For Confcommercio, 76% will choose Italy, while only the 24% will opt for abroad (7% of which are non-EU). These choices are also confirmed by Federalberghi. Italians thus continue to favor the Bel Paese, with a growing attention towards two precise segments.
Il first is that of the cities of art, where museums, exhibitions and Christmas atmospheres represent the perfect combination for a cultural trip. second is the mountain, favored by the reopening of ski resorts and the boom in Christmas markets: one in five, according to Confcommercio, will choose Alpine resorts.
On the podium of preferences emerge Trentino-Alto Adige and Tuscany, destinations that consolidate their attractiveness during the winter holidays.
Structures above 70% occupancy
The analysis by the Florence Tourism Studies Centre for Assoturismo Confesercenti reports ahigh saturation of online accommodation facilities: 72% of hotels are already booked for the December 5-8 period, with over 5 million overnight stays expected. Mountain resorts lead the season with an average occupancy of 77%, closely followed by art cities at 75%. Rural and hilly areas also performed well, reaching 73%, while spa resorts outperformed all others with a saturation rate of 79%, in some cases approaching 90%.
At the regional level, the Northeast dominates (74%), followed by the Northwest (72%). Central Italy stands at 71%, while the South and Islands, with 66%, remain below the national average.
The downside: skyrocketing prices and flights up to +900%
If demand grows, costs do not fall behindAssoturismo Confesercenti warns of a phenomenon already known, but even more pronounced this year.
On some national routes – in particular from the North towards Sicily, Sardinia and Puglia – Flight prices have exploded by up to +900% compared to low-season fares. A Milan-Catania or Milan-Palermo flight on peak days can reach 600 euros one-way, more than the price of a ticket to New York. But the situation is no better on the tracks. “ticket prices” also affect trains with peaks in 2025 that will exceed those of last year. In critical time periods, prices are triple the annual average.
Tourism spending soars: between 3 and 8,8 billion euros
For Confcommercio, the total spending by holidaymakers will amount to almost 3 billion eurosFederalberghi, which takes into account a larger number of travellers and a longer average stay (4,2 days), estimates a turnover of 8,8 billion, with a per capita expenditure of approximately 635 euros.
The data from Cna Turismo then add a further piece with 4 billion in direct and indirect spending between December 6th and 8th, accompanied by 3 million overnight stays in hotels and other accommodations. Of these, 1,75 million were from foreign tourists, while 1,25 million were from Italians.
Federalberghi President Bernabò Bocca, however, urges caution. "The data paints a bright picture," Bocca explains, while also noting that a significant portion of Italians he will not be able to leave due to the rising cost of living, which weighs on daily expenses and reduces the budget available for tourism.
