ITALY: €73 BILLION GENERATED BY TOURISM INDUSTRY IN 2013

In Italy in 2013, tourism generated a turnover of €73 billion. This figure covers the cost of over 831 million tourist arrivals of which 60.9% were Italian and 39.1% foreign. So, while our compatriots fell 3.9 % and spent 2% less, visitors from abroad recorded a slight increase in spending of 0.7% revealed by Observatory on Tourism UNIONCAMERE-ISNART.

39.9% of the total was invested in accommodation and catering and 60.1% in other sectors. In particular: 18.7% in recreational and cultural activities, 16.1 % in agriculture and food, 10.4 % in manufacturing industries, 10.4% in clothing and footwear, 2.3% in publishing and 2.1% in transport.

Compared to the previous year, consumption of food decreased (-15.1%) and housing (-17.9%); whereas, there was an increase of spending on clothing and footwear (+15.1%), the agricultural and food industry (+14.1%), and recreational activities (+4.9%). The average expenditure per capita of tourists per day in Italy was €47 for accommodation and €75 for all other consumption.

Agricultural and food is the first and foremost in expenditure for the visitors of our country: 67.5% attend restaurants and pizzerias, spending on average €16 per person, and 68.3% are entertained in bars, cafes, and bakeries, consuming about €6 per day. Many buy their food and drinks in supermarkets and shops (60.4% at around €23), while 32% of visitors choose to bring home souvenirs of local food and wine, spending about €10 per head.

Excluding the costs of travel and accommodation, the average expenditure of Italian tourists in 2013 has seen a good recovery (€72 per day compared to €67 the previous year). Also, there was a significant increase for foreigners: €78 per day compared to €69 in 2012.
Taking into account the costs incurred for housing, the biggest 'spenders' were the Russians (€149.48 per capita compared to an average of €102.33), followed by the Japanese (€122), the Spanish (€111.17), the British (€105.14), the Germans (€104.42), and then the Americans (€102.34).

Below average, however, were the French (€98.33), the Swiss (€96.57), the Austrians (€95.48), and finally the Dutch (€83.54).