Viareggio, August 14, 2023 – Tourist companies in Tuscany prepare for mid August With market in decline compared to last year and with a lower propensity to spend on tourism demand. The sector is expected to perform less brilliantly than in 2022. Version where 70% occupancyvery far compared to 87% last year. And it’s not optimistic Florence Tourism Research Center for the Assoturismo Confesercenti, which for the long weekend of August 15 – five nights, from August 11 to 16 – predicts 17 million tourists, 60% of whom are Italians in official accommodation facilities.
However, Belpaese is becoming more and more of a favorite destination for VIPs. Olivia Wilde in love with Apulia and Taralli. Jennifer Lopez enjoying summer on the Amalfi coast between mambo and ravioli. Robert DeNiro, seen 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 full well that “Italy is a gift from the gods. To be loved, respected, revered,” as one of the most affectionate of them, namely the gladiator, says. Russell Crowe. Maybe it’s the Italians who seem to have gotten away a bit this year by winning dear life which forced them to reduce the number of vacation days or turn to overseas destinations, at least at apparently low cost. Associations have been complaining about this since Federalberghi President Bernabo Bocca, who said that “things are going well, for God’s sake, but not as tumultuous as it should be during this period. There are no sold-out houses in Sardinia, in Versilia we have 70% occupancy (last year it was 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 numbers are rising compared to the last few weeks, but Definitely not sold In a key holiday period for Italians, there are plenty of tourist resorts that have recorded an increase in bookings, but at levels far from the traditional mid-August sell-out. The Italian syndicate Balneari also confirms the absence of a fully booked house, which, elated by the large number of foreigners, explains that “inflation and rising interest rates are affecting the Italian holidays and this means that the summer of 2023 will be positive, even if it is below expectations. . However, according to the latest infographic of the Ministry of Tourism “How tourism is progressing in Italy”, the second week of August confirms the trend that is visible Italy as second favorite destination 39% of accommodations are 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.
Maurice Costanzo