ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The forecasts for the upcoming winter season would overall increase the tourist flows in Italy: 29.7 million arrivals and 93 million attendance, with an increase of 8.2% respectively and 14.3% compared to the previous winter season. And again, the holiday movements in Belpaese could generate a tourist expense of 14,8 billion euros, recording an increase of 9.1% regarding the same time span last year. This is what emerges from the “Tourism Forecast Winter 2026” of the Demoskopika Institute which estimated, for the period December 2025-March 2026, the main tourist indicators: arrivals, attendance, tourist expenses and dynamics of national and international demand.
Tourist scenes. The key role of the international market. The forecasts for the winter season at the door, would mark an increase of tourist flows in Italy: 29.7 million arrivals and 93 million attendances, compared with 27.5 million arrivals and 81.4 million overnight stays in the previous season. In other words, more than 11.6 million extra attendances should be recorded with a total increase of 14.3%. To make more impact on the increase in tourist flows, according to the forecast estimates of the Institute of Research, would be the share of foreigners regarding the Italian market. In particular, opting for a winter holiday in Italy would be 14,4 million foreign tourists (+21.1% compared to 2025) generating 52 million overnight stays (+28.8%). On the side of the domestic market, which represents a share of 51.5% of the total, there would be 15.3 million arrivals (- 1.7%) and 41.1 million attendances, stable on last year’s levels. In Italy, finally, tourist flows could generate a tourist expenditure of 14,8 billion euros recording an increase of 9.1% compared to last winter season. It is specified that the predictive value is contained in a confidence interval between a minimum and maximum value of the estimate.
“The dynamics of the choice of winter holiday – the researchers of Demoskopika comment – consolidates Italy’s strong attraction for tourists from across the frontier. The international demand is growing and towing the entire sector. The Belpaese continues to be chosen by foreigners for the quality of services and for the growing experiential variety of the tourist offer. On the opposite side, the domestic market shows signs of slowing down, probably conditioned by a greater prudence of Italians in tourist consumption behaviour. Many households, for example, choose shorter periods, late bookings or alternative modes not always detected by official statistics. In this context – Demoskopika researchers continue – it is expected, a scenario “double speed”. On the one hand, Italy continues to be a privileged destination for foreign tourists, while, on the other, domestic demand needs more incentive measures. Governing these dynamics will be decisive to consolidate the results and make the winter season more balanced and differentiated in the immediate future.”.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
