Foreigners are driving the recovery of tourism in Italy. This is shown by the balance of the summer that just ended, which confirmed a phenomenon that has been ongoing for at least two decades: since 2003, foreign presences in the summer months have grown by 54 percent, offsetting domestic presences, which fell by 7 percent. The increase in global tourist flows expected over the next decade could be worth up to about 30 million more arrivals for Italy. Major events such as the Jubilee in 2025, the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina, and the possible Expo 2030 in Rome may be the main catalysts. The country has the potential to intercept the growth of international tourism. Looking at the estimates, the months between June and August this year set a new record, with more than 100 million foreign presences, while for Italians there was a shift toward less expensive foreign destinations, leading to a below-expected figure for the domestic component of tourist movements. The analysis points to three trends that are emerging globally: flows will come mainly from Asia, where the growth of the middle class will be more pronounced, and will be characterized by a growing search for unique experiences, preferably luxury; vacationing will be even more sustainable and digitized; and destinations that have been less common to date will be more popular, with the impacts of global warming exerting an increasing influence on destination choices.
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