Italy: US visitors drive tourism boom this summer

Rome: Italy is seeing a surge in foreign tourists who will generate an estimated €17 billion between July and September this year, in a return to pre-covid levels, according to a new report by retailer association Comfcommercio.

US tourists are driving the recovery, thanks also to a strong dollar, the report said.

About 2.2 million Americans are expected to vacation in Italy this summer, generating an estimated €2.1 billion – 20 per cent more than the same period in 2019.

The study also predicted a surge of Australians, Canadians and South Africans, as well as a “good performance” from British visitors and pre-pandemic numbers of Spanish tourists.

Russian tourists in Italy have all but disappeared in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, while the Asian market remains slow to recover, the study found.

The report also highlighted new travel trends: tourists are booking their flights closer to departure time, due to uncertainties including covid-19, the war in Ukraine and disruption to air travel.

Separately, more than 100,000 travellers a day are passing through Rome’s Fiumicino airport this summer, Aeroporti di Roma announced.

In addition to European capital cities, the most popular destinations for passengers travelling through Fiumicino are Greek and Spanish islands along with Sardinia and Sicily.