For Epiphany bridge the formula wins: short holidays and Italy. There are 1,9 million Italians who do not give up their holidays even on Epiphany days: short-range trips in the name of relaxation. Most of the interest will be concentrated on visits to cities of art or sites full of history and museums and exhibitions to discover. All this, preferring overall accommodation in hotel (in 44,3% of cases) with a nice overtaking compared to the choice of home of relatives and/or friends (29,5%). While 5,2 million Italians have opted for long holidays from Christmas to Epiphany.
This is what emerges from a survey carried out for Federalberghi by ACS Marketing Solutions in the period between 7 and 12 December on a sample of 3.014 people.
To suffer more, the mountain. The lack of snow is affecting everything: no skis, no boots, no sledges. And it is creating quite a few problems for hoteliers, ski lift managers and ski instructors who have seen many reservations cancelled.
Tourism in Italy: short holidays for Italians
For those who will go on vacation during the Epiphany period, the average duration will be around 3,3 nights with one overall per capita expenditure (ie inclusive of transport, accommodation, food and entertainment) of 572 euros. A figure, the latter, which drops to 567 euros for those who will remain in Italy, rising instead to 875 euros for those who choose abroad. The turnover of the weekend will amount to one billion and 68 million euros. Finally, the main reason for the holiday will be the search for rest and relaxation (58%), walking (33%), visiting monuments (22,7%) and museums (18,2%) or attending musical performances (14,8% ).
Tourism in Italy: a record-breaking 2022 comes to an end
The hospitality industry closes a record 2022 with almost 400 million visitors, about half of which are foreigners. Tourism thus reduces the gap (-8,5% in attendance and -14,5% in arrivals) with the pre-Covid years thanks to European visitors, while as far as long-haul is concerned, there is a sharp increase in guests arriving from North Americaespecially from the US. According to the final balance drawn up by Assoturismo - Cst in 2022 there was a leap in presences which mark +38,2% on 2021 thanks to an excellent trend of arrivals equal to 112,3 million (+42,8%) and thanks to a marked increase in foreign tourists while Italians have much preferred short breaks in Italy. Hotels, resorts, tourist villages, campsites and agritourisms have benefited from these favorable circumstances, with the cities of art managing to achieve the best performances after two years of almost total shutdown.
Cautious optimism remains among operators in the next three months. The opinion of over a quarter of those interviewed, out of a sample of 1.334 entrepreneurs, is of further growth in the sector, but at a much more contained pace. For 54% the expectations are of a substantial stability of the market and about 20% expect, however, a decrease in the tourist flow. Weighing in: slow economic growth, high inflation and rising energy prices.
Short holidays for a third of Italians: inflation and price increases weigh
“Analysing the data that has emerged, one has the perception that Italian tourism is changing – he said Bernabo Bocca, president of Federalberghi commenting on the data of the survey carried out by ACS Marketing Solutions – in an attempt to go back to being carefree. Overall, we could say that the Christmas holiday season ends in style if there weren't, however, that 34% of people who will reduce the duration of the trip due to the increases that have become unsustainable. These are the real enemies of tourism and its entire supply chain. If there is an urgency in our sector, and we shout it out loud, it is to put a stop to price increases”.
