Italy is witnessing a surge in popularity among foreign tourists, projecting an income of 50 billion USD in 2023, a significant increase from the 30 billion USD recorded in 2019, a record-breaking year for foreign tourism in the country. This accomplishment is complemented by Italy's rise to the second position among European destinations with the highest number of foreign tourists in the first half of the year, a notable improvement from the fourth position in 2022. The Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, emphasizes the government's commitment to further solidify this achievement and regain the top spot in Europe for incoming tourists within five years through short, medium, and long-term strategies. Tourism remains a structural pillar of Italy's economy, extending its impact across various sectors such as transportation, food, IT, and construction. Santanchè underscores that the overall contribution of tourism to the national economy surpasses its GDP share as per statistical data.
The industrial plan for the tourism sector outlines key strategies to enhance Italy's tourism landscape, including deseasonalization, digitalization, human resource valorization, structural financial instruments, diversification of the tourist offer, and both internal and external promotion to recover ground in the domestic market. Santanchè highlights the importance of encouraging Italians to explore their nation beyond traditional seasonal periods, emphasizing the vast potential within Italy's deep and diversified tourist offerings. While data from Federalberghi indicates a preference among Italians for domestic destinations during Christmas and New Year's Eve, Santanchè stresses the need to motivate Italians to explore their country throughout the year. The minister outlines a serious and actionable project to propel Italian tourism to the forefront of European tourist flows. This initiative involves active discussions with companies, trade unions, and all stakeholders in the sector to collectively contribute to achieving this ambitious goal. Minister Santanchè concludes by emphasizing that the objective of reclaiming the top spot for tourist flows in Europe is a tangible and realistic project, underlining the government's commitment to realizing it.
