97% of Italians stayed in Italy for holidays, and vacation time is not over yet

It has been an all-Italian summer. As expected, almost all Italians, in other words, 97%, in this very singular historical moment, decided to spend their holidays in the “Belpaese”, choosing the most famous seaside and mountain locations, in search of relaxation and good food. However, assisted by the wonderful weather, summer is not over and Italians are continuing to go on vacation, even in the autumn months. This is, in a nutshell, the snapshot of the data from ENIT-Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo, the Italian tourism agency, which also has predicted that 58% of Italians will leave on holidays specifically in autumn. The majority of people are still at the seaside (57%) or in the mountains (48%), but it has been predicted there will be a return to the art cities (42%). Other types of holidays included food and wine (29%), at the lakes (29%) and at the Spas (28%). Thirty three percent of those interviewed are already planning for Christmas holidays (mainly thanks to the holiday bonus, which will be available until December 31, 2020), and 92% will travel in Italy, especially in the regions of Lombardy, Sicily, Piedmont and Campania.
ENIT interviewed over 4.000 people (between August 24th and 30th). The results are that 41% of Italians could not go on holidays, while 59% of the population spent at least one period away from home, 42% went on holiday, while 17% spent two or more periods away from their homes. Italians stayed in Italy in 97% of cases, preferring destinations such as Emilia Romagna, Apulia and Sicily, all three regions chosen by 9% of Italian vacationers. People also chose the mountains, Trentino Alto Adige (8%), but also Tuscany (8%), Piedmont (7%) and Lombardy (7%). Only 3% of Italians went abroad and stayed in Mediterranean Europe (35%), Northern Europe (24%) or Eastern Europe (14%).
Since Italians decided to stay in Italy for the holidays, their desire to discover their Italian heritage has also re-emerged, including culture, landscapes and cuisine. Italian vacationers are looking, more than anything, for cultural experiences (24%) relaxation (23%), as well as food and good Italian cuisine (23%). Italians’ opinion on their holidays was very positive. They gave an average rating of 8 out of 10 for a holiday that had the atmosphere of relaxation and well being (75%), so very highly desired after such a challenging season.
Considering the difficult period Italians are trying to get out of, the numbers of the survey give hope for the long-awaited recovery. On the whole, between Italians and foreigners there were 24 million travelers on Trenitalia train routes, who traveled to the Adriatic coast, mainly Apulia, but also to the Tyrrhenian Sea, to Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Calabria. Even Italo train passengers, the target age prevalently within 40 years old, appreciated the entire network, including the new routes that cross Italy from Turin to Reggio Calabria and from Milan to Ancona. According to ANAS and AUTOSTRADE, traffic volumes increased + 4% in August, compared to the previous weeks, bringing the week of August 15th almost equal to last year (-3.8%).
“The data ENIT has released are comforting”, said Lorenza Bonaccorsi, Undersecretary for Tourism (Mibact), “both for the number of visitors in July and August, and also for the choice the majority of Italians made to spend their holiday period in our Country. From the very beginning”, continued Bonaccorsi, “we had invited Italians to spend their holidays in Italy, to rediscover the marvels spread throughout the Peninsula - from the sea to the mountains, the villages and the unspoiled nature. The data foresee an extension of the summer season in September and in the autumn months, which are also comforting. In the autumn period, Italians will be able to continue using the holiday bonus, as it is valid until December 31, 2020”.