In the first months of 2022 tourism in Italy is beginning to show some tangible signs of recovery, as evidenced by data from Federalberghi, Nexi and Zucchetti relating to the presence and spending by tourists in hotels, and the preferred Italian destinations this summer.

Indeed, while it is true that tourists’ presence in Italian hotels in the January-May 2022 period was not back to pre-pandemic levels (down 3.1% for Italians and 6.8% for foreigners compared to 2019), the result for the month of May offers hope for the future, with Federalberghi recording a robust +33.4% in the leisure tourism segment - the result of a 13.5% increase in the presence of Italians and a 45.8% increase in that of foreigners. This is a significant growth compared to April when the number of tourists in Italian hotels rose by 10.5% compared to 2019 but foreigners’ presence recorded a 26.3% decrease.

"We are confident that the good performances registered during the Easter holiday and the April 25 and June 2 holiday weekends are a prelude to a positive summer," stated Alessandro Massimo Nucara, General Director of Federalberghi, “and that the second half of the year will provide at least partial relief from the damage inflicted on businesses by two tragic years, which we want to put behind us as soon as possible.”

Not only is presence on the rise, but also spending by tourists, according to data from Nexi, which looked at purchases in hotels by Italians and foreigners. The analysis by PayTech shows that in May 2022 they were up 13.7 % compared to May 2019, more specifically +25.6% for Italians and +9% for foreigners.

These figures are of particular relevance considering above all the significance of tourism in Italy - according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the contribution made by the travel and tourism industry to Italy's GDP is equal to 13.1%.

"With tourism being one of the key assets for our country's economy, the recovery of spending in hotels is an encouraging signal and a confirmation that digital payment tools are now chosen by an increasing number of merchants and consumers who favor them for the convenience, security and speed they guarantee", said Enrico Trovati, Merchant Services & Solutions Director at Nexi.

According to an analysis by Zucchetti and Lybra.tech (a Group company) based on the figures of Travel Data Lake, an innovative project of the Italian software house, tourism relating to seaside destinations in summer 2022 will virtually cover the whole of Italy. Among the most popular destinations are the Veneto region beaches (index number = 100), the Romagna Riviera (98), the Tuscan Costa degli Etruschi (78), Costa Smeralda in Sardinia (65), and the Salento area in the Apulia region (56), as well as the island of Elba (28), the Amalfi Coast (28), the northern coast of Sicily (25) and Maremma in the south of Tuscany (24). Lastly, the number of searches carried out shows that this year U.S. nationals are the most interested in going to Italy for their vacation.

"Our analysis method is extremely innovative," commented Angelo Guaragni, CEO of Zucchetti Hospitality, "because it allows us to make accurate forecasts using artificial intelligence techniques to cross-reference data from more than 15,000 hospitality facilities and the preferences expressed online by consumers. This is a concrete example of how effective technology can be in supporting hoteliers' strategic choices."