Italy is confirmed as one of the most popular destinations for foreign tourists for the coming summer. ENIT forecasts, in fact, confirm the great desire for holidays in our country, with 18.6 million airport passengers from abroad1.
The first results of ENIT2 monitoring show a strong growth in demand, marking an increase in requests of +17.9%3 (in line with the trend already seen during the last Easter holidays, which recorded +17.6% compared to 2024). Estimates that place Italy in second place in the special world ranking of the most popular holiday destinations, ahead of Turkey and France (and just behind Spain). As far as internal flows are concerned, instead, the Bel Paese is on the third step of the podium with 8.4 million airport passengers, ahead of France and preceded by Turkey and Spain.
27 million tourists are expected, therefore, between international arrivals and internal travel for the coming summer.
In terms of destination, international flows will be concentrated in the North (7.7 million), then in destinations in Central Italy (5.5 million) and then in the South (5.4 million), where there will also be the largest number of domestic airport passengers (around 5.4 million).
In terms of bookings already made, between June and September there were more than 10.6 million international airport tourist arrivals (+4.6% compared to last year), for a consolidated turnover of more than 10 billion euros, to which must be added the expenditure in the territories during the tourist stay. Significant numbers that add up to 8.6 million airport tourists in the first 5 months of the year (+1.5% over ‘24), with a peak in April of 2.3 million arrivals. To be recorded among the main markets that choose our country to spend their summer holidays, in the top three positions: United Kingdom (1.6 million arrivals, 15% of the total), United States (1.2 million arrivals, 10.9% of the total) and Germany (one million arrivals, 9.8% of the total)4.
‘The numbers are the best testimony to the potential we have. Italy is a destination that is coveted and in demand all over the world, from North to South, thanks to the quantity and quality of experiences that we are able to offer. Positive data that contribute to the growth of the territories and the entire tourism sector, which is increasingly a driving force for the socio-economic development of our country. For almost three years under the leadership of this government we have been working tirelessly with the minister and these results are concrete proof of the goodness of our work,’ says Ivana Jelinic, CEO of ENIT S.p.A.
‘ENIT surveys also predict a healthy summer for Italian tourism. In particular, after surpassing France in terms of tourist presences, in 2024, the good season of 2025 sees us prevail s
n this historic competitor both in terms of the most desired summer destination and in terms of internal flows. Satisfied with these results, however, we look beyond, forward: we must work to make these results not only structural, but the starting point for doing even better. The goal remains that of further increasing the competitiveness and stability of the sector, adopting long-term policies, as the Meloni government and the Ministry of Tourism are already doing,’ declared Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè.
Among the most used airports are Rome Fiumicino (4.6 million total airport passengers), Milan Malpensa (3.1 million) and Naples Capodichino (2.1 million), which will be the three busiest airports in the Italian summer. They are followed by Catania (2 million), Venice (1.7 million), Bergamo (1.3 million), Bologna (1.1 million), Bari (1.1 million) and Florence (600 thousand). Flows to Sicilian airports stand out, with Catania (in the total of expected airport arrivals) scoring 2 million and Palermo with 1.6 million.
Source Enit