Italians are ready to spend more this year on winter holidays: 740 euros against 660 euros last year. And compared to 2017, the number of Italians who will spend their winter holidays abroad is increasing, especially among young people aged 18 to 35 and above all thanks to the recovery of Egypt, even if more than 7 out of 10 compatriots will still remain inside of the borders of the Bel Paese. This is what emerges from a study presented by Confturismo, which confirms ski resorts and therefore Trentino Alto Adige in first place among national destinations, followed by Tuscany and Lombardy.
But research also indicates that Italians love to travel abroad even in winter. In fact, considering the entire period from January to March, 56% of spending on holidays will go to European destinations. 10%, on the other hand, will be invested in trips to African destinations, with an increase of 2% compared to last year, thanks to the recovery of Egypt and places such as Sharm-el-Sheik, penalized in recent years by the alarm over the terrorism. Egypt is also once again a strong international competitor, with a +180% of bookings in winter by the French, for example. But there are also Greece, Tunisia and Türkiye. In short, Italy is chosen for skiing, but holidays in the heat are also fashionable.
Winter tourism will also be a bargain, given that by putting the spending of Italians abroad and that of foreigners in Italy on the plate, it will give a surplus on the trade balance between January and March 2019 of 1,4 billion euros (6,4 billion against 5 billion), 300 million more than last year. However, the surplus remains much lower than in the summer months, when foreigners spend 15,7 billion in Italy, practically double what Italians do on holiday abroad. In winter, it is above all the Germans who spend in Italy: 13% of the total, in any case less than the 20% recorded during the summer.
The current winter season will finally be marked by great growth in Italian airports where 22,7 million international passengers are expected that is, 1 million more than last year. In the South and the Islands, as happened for the summer, it will experience the greatest growth with 420 more passengers than last year.
