Data shows that Italy is the fourth most popular destination for European tourists, who invested 12% of their tourism-related spending in one of the world’s most beautiful countries that is known for its architecture, culture, art, opera, literature, film, and fashion.

Data from the Italian Observatory on Domestic and International Tourism Flows, presented in Venice on September 1, said that July saw the highest growth in spending on hotels in Italy, exceeding even the totals for Spain and the UK. The largest numbers of foreign visitors to Italy come from Germany, Switzerland, the US, the UK and The Netherlands.

It also said that travellers are increasingly choosing to travel around by a well-connected network of trains. In the first five months of 2023 alone, Trenitalia transported 24% more passengers than in 2022. Summer brought 75 million tourists onto the trains of the Italian state rail network. More than half of this figure was recorded in August, with a rise of 15% compared to August 2022.

Thanks to the promotional offers and facilities aimed at families, about 3.5 million travellers aged under 15 took the Frecciarossa, intercity and regional trains. One of the services that has proved popular is the family area on intercity trains where carriages are available for the entire family, with dedicated entertainment for children, making the journey a part of the holiday experience.

This initiative is endorsed by True Italian Experience, the digital tourism hub of which Trenitalia is the main partner, and which promotes sustainable and experiential tourism.

The main Italian cities reached by train by the highest number of travellers were Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin and Bologna, with the Apulian cities of Bari and Lecce among the most popular in Southern Italy. 

For trips lasting more than five days, Italian seaside and mountain locations proved most popular in 2023, with Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Liguria the Italian regions that registered the most significant increases in visitors, compared to 2022. – TradeArabia News Service