According to the Italian news agency ANSA, a poll submitted by Enit (Italian Tourist Board) reveals a positive trend of Italian tourism. Especially art cities and ski resorts expect growing amounts of visitors in 2015.
In Europe, German tour operators taking travelers to Italy report increased bookings especially with respect to holidays in Italian mountains rather than cultural destinations. British, French and Spanish tour operators all report positive sale trends as well. Tour operators from Sweden reported +3% in sales of Italian tours, Danish tour operators announced +5% sales and Norwegians +12%. Tour operators in Finland reported a slight increase in sales of Italian packages.
Regarding Russia, Moscow announced a slight increase in sales as well – +3.38%. Even if the Russian ruble has plummeted in value, Russian tourists are still expected to explore Italy although they now often choose less expensive and shorter vacations.
According to ANSA, USA and Canada reported a 7-10% growth in sales for Italian art cities – both big and small – compared to 2013. The North American tour operators focus mostly on the Food & Wine sector and the most popular destinations are Tuscany, Piedmont, Puglia, the lake region in the North and the Amalfi Coast, with Milan and Siena as the most favorite cities.
In Asia, 75% of Chinese tour operators have registered an average of 5% increase of sales for Italian destinations. Besides cultural and art cities, Chinese travelers are mostly attracted by Italian ski resorts. Despite the recession, the majority of Japanese tour operators foresee a moderate increase in sales this year. Japanese tourists generally opt for cultural destinations but are also interested in natural reserves and ecotourism.
Tourism from India remains stable, although 10% of operators claim an increase in sales. Most of the travelers go for family trips and honeymoons, while 2% of tour operators see encouraging interests in the MICE sector.