The term "golden wedding" is an appropriate way to refer to the wedding tourism market, which is becoming increasingly valuable for Italy. This is especially true when considering foreigner's and Italians' marriage data outside their residence region.
The Weddings and Private Events Federation, known as Federmep, represents companies and professionals in the wedding and event sector. According to their report, in 2022, Italy hosted more than 10,000 foreign weddings with an average of 60 guests. These weddings cost at least 65,000 euros per wedding. This means the wedding tourism industry generates 650 million euros.
Based on the couples' length of stay (approximately three nights) and the number of guests invited to the ceremony, it was possible to estimate that at least 619,000 arrivals and 2.3 million tourists were closely associated with the event. Regarding destination weddings, Tuscany is the most popular region, with a 21% market share, followed by Lazio, Puglia, and Sicily.
For 2023 and 2024, Federmep anticipates a 10% increase in foreign wedding celebrations, leading to higher spending and sector turnover exceeding €750 million.
Italian couples who choose weddings outside their region of residence account for around 7,160 weddings and 350 civil unions between same-sex couples.
In such cases, the Federation has estimated an average of 90 guests per event and an average expenditure of 37,000 euros. This results in a total turnover of over 260 million euros. It is important to highlight the considerable economic value of this specific area and its operational value for our tourism system. Italian spouses and guests have resulted in over 654,000 arrivals and 912,000 overnight stays in various locations.