News Travel Tourism Italy: A Leading Sun Destination

Italy welcomed nearly 75 million visitors in 2022, with 30 million classified as pure tourists, although in Italy, everyone tends to be a bit of a tourist! Among these 75 million visitors, France contributed 10 million, trailing behind Germany with 13 million but surpassing Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain, and the United States.

The tourism sector accounts for 10% of Italy's GDP, generating employment opportunities (often in multiple professions, as is common in Italy) for over 2.5 million people, or 11.5% of the population. This positions Italy as the world's fifth most visited tourist destination, albeit sometimes with reluctance. Italy's appeal lies in its wealth of cultural heritage, boasting over 100,000 classified monuments, including around fifty designated by UNESCO, setting a world record. Additionally, Italian artists have contributed to the prestige of museums worldwide.

Italy is further enriched by its seven renowned lakes, its southern version of the Alps, spanning 1,000 kilometers of Apennine mountain ranges, and a picturesque coastline adorned with 80 islands. Not to mention the profound impact of Italian cuisine, fashion, and music on the world.

THE WEIGHT OF TRADITION As the first Western country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy was also among the first to benefit from the reopening of borders. This period of slowed growth allowed tourism professionals, both private and state-run, to invest in modernization efforts and redefine Italy's image, which at times has been overly associated with classicism.