Tourist flows - Q4 2024

In the fourth quarter of 2024, tourism grew compared to the same period in 2023: arrivals increased by 1.2%, while nights spent rose by 11.1%.

The year 2024 closed with 458.4 million nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments, marking a further increase (+2.5%) compared to the previous record set in 2023.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, nights spent by residents in Italy increased by 5.9%, while those of non-residents more than doubled, rising by 15.6%.

In 2024, nights spent by non-resident in accommodation establishments exceeded 250 million, showing a 6.8% increase compared to 2023. They accounted for more than half (54.6%) of total nights spent. 

Even in the fourth quarter of 2024, nights spent by non-resident tourists exceeded those of residents in Italy. The inbound tourism segment accounted for 55.4% of total nights spent. 

Italy ranked second among EU countries in terms of tourist nights spent, surpassing France and trailing only Spain, which remains the leading country both in total nights spent and in nights spent by non-residents.

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Tourism in the Fourth Quarter of 2024

According to provisional data from the survey “Occupancy of tourist accommodation establishments”, the fourth quarter of 2024 showed a very positive performance, particularly in terms of nights spent in accommodation establishments. Compared to the same period in 2023, nights spent increased by 11.1%, while arrivals grew by 1.2%.

Monthly estimates indicate an increase in nights spent across all three months, while arrivals showed a fluctuating trend. October, the most touristic month of the fourth quarter, recorded 10.2 million arrivals and 33.4 million nights spent, with a significant increase in nights (+15.0% compared to 2023) and relatively stable arrivals (-0.2%). In November, with 6.5 million arrivals and 18 million nights spent, both indicators increased: nights spent by 13.8% and arrivals by 7.8%. In December, the trends diverged, with nights spent rising by 2.8% and arrivals declining by 2.5%.

Overall, compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, nights spent saw strong growth for both domestic and inbound tourists, though the increase was significantly higher for non-residents (+5.9% for residents and +15.6% for non-residents).

Nights spent of domestic tourists increased in October and November (+9.7% and +13.7%, respectively), while in December, they declined by 3.1%. In contrast, nights spent of non-resident tourists increased sharply across all three months, with growth exceeding 10%: +17.7% in October, +13.9% in November, and +11.9% in December.

Considering the two components of demand, in October, more than two-thirds of nights spent (67.5%) were from non-resident tourists, while in November and December, prevailed residents. Specifically, Italian tourists accounted for 53.7% of nights spent in November and 57% in December. Comparing the composition of nights spent in accommodation establishments for the entire quarter with the previous year, the share of non-resident tourists increased from 53.2% in 2023 to 55.4% in 2024.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, both hotel and other accommodations recorded a significant increase in nights spent during the quarter: hotel nights grew by 10.6%, while other accommodations saw a 12.2% increase. The highest growth in hotel nights occurred in October (+16%), while other accommodations saw the largest increase in November (+20.8%). In December, non-resident tourists’ nights spent increased by 10.1% in hotels and 16.7% in other accommodations, while domestic tourists’ nights spent declined in both sectors (-3% in hotels and -3.5% in non-hotel accommodations).

The average stay in accommodation establishments was 3.01 nights, showing a slight increase for both domestic tourists (2.66 nights, +0.23 compared to 2023) and non-resident tourists (3.37 nights, +0.28).

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Tourism Flow Estimates for 2024

According to early estimates for 2024, the annual balance shows a divergent trend between arrivals and nights spent. While nights spent, totaling 458.4 million, continued to grow compared to the record levels of 2023 (+2.5%), arrivals reached 129.3 million, 4.4 million fewer than in 2023 (-3.3%).

The two guest segments behaved differently: non-resident tourists recorded an increase in tourism flows compared to 2023 (+0.9% in arrivals and +6.8% in nights spent), whereas domestic tourists saw a decline (-7.6% in arrivals and -2.2% in nights spent).

Non-resident tourists remained the dominant segment over domestic visitors. In 2023, foreign tourists recorded 234.2 million nights spent, accounting for 52.4% of the total. In 2024, this number exceeded 250 million, representing 54.6% of total nights spent.

In 2024, nights spent in hotel accommodations increased by 3% compared to the previous year, almost double the growth rate of the other accommodations sector (+1.7%). This trend reinforced the dominance of the hotel sector over other accommodations in terms of nights spent (61.9% vs. 38.1% of the total).

Italy’s growth (+2.5%), in line with the EU average, positioned the country as the second-largest European destination in terms of total nights spent, surpassing France (450.1 million) and trailing only Spain (501.1 million).

Considering only inbound tourists, Italy, with 250.1 million nights spent, ranked second after Spain, which recorded 320.7 million nights spent from non-resident tourists.

The decline in domestic tourism was observed across the top three European countries in terms of nights, with Italy experiencing the steepest decline (-2.2%) compared to Spain (-1.4%) and France (-1.7%). In contrast, the growth in non-resident tourists was seen across all EU-27 countries. Among the leading tourism destinations, Spain, Italy, and Germany each recorded an increase of over six percentage points, exceeding the EU average growth rate (+4.7%).