Olivia Wilde is in love with Apulia and Taralli. Jennifer Lopez enjoys summer on the Amalfi Coast in between mambo and ravioli. Robert De Niro was spotted on the streets of Naples, first in San Gennaro, then in San Gregorio Armeno and again on the set of Paolo Sorrentino. And then Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Keanu Reeves, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates… In short, in August the trunk is full of foreigners, both VIP and non-VIP, who know very well that “Italy is a gift from the gods. To be loved, respected, revered,” says one of the most gentle of them, gladiator Russell Crowe.
Perhaps it’s the Italians who seem to be on the run a bit this year, benefited by the high cost of living that has forced them to cut back on holidays or switch to overseas destinations, at least obviously at a low cost. Associations have been complaining about this, starting with Federalberghi President Bernabo Bocca, who said that “things are going well, for God’s sake, but not as fast as it should be during this period. There are no full houses in Sardinia, in Versilia we have 70% occupancy (last year we were at 87%)…”. About 14 million Italians will go on vacation for the week of August 15, according to Confcommercio, mostly staying in Italy and spending around 7 billion euros. According to a survey by Cna Turismo e Commercio, 25 million visitors were registered during the week of August 11-20, with a turnover of over 10 billion. A record-breaking result that shows that foreign tourists overcome the presence barrier of 15 million people and fully compensate for some discomfort on the Italian holiday front.
The Centro Studi Turistici di Firenze for Assoturismo Confesercenti is less optimistic than the long weekend of August 15 – five nights, from August 11 to 16 – expects 17 million tourists, 60% of whom are Italians, in official accommodation facilities. Rising numbers compared to the last few weeks, but certainly not a sell-out: during the key period of the Italian holidays, there are many tourist resorts that have recorded an increase in bookings, but at levels far from the traditional mid-August sell-out. . The Syndicato Italiano Balneari also confirms the absence of a full house, which, rejoicing at the good number of foreigners, explains that “inflation and rising interest rates are affecting the holiday of Italians, which means that the summer of 2023 will be positive, even if below expectations.
However, according to the latest infographic of the Ministry of Tourism “How is tourism in Italy”, the second week of August confirms the trend that Italy is the second most popular destination with 39% of accommodations booked on online platforms, ahead of France. (+14%) and Spain (+2%). In the first half of the month, airline bookings increased by 14% compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in international flights (+22%). Finally, in August, Italian seaside resorts are the most popular destinations (43%) in our country, offering a solution 31% cheaper than the average of the competing countries (Greece, Spain and France). Enit was also positive, with 702,500 passengers arriving at Italian airports in August, up 1.1% from 694,800 in August 2022.