The new year starts with a sprint for travel agencies, with business volume up +8.9% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to January-March last year. This is the summary that emerges from the survey conducted by the Florence-based Centro Studi Turistici, for Assoviaggi Confesercenti, on a sample of 769 travel agencies. Inflation and ongoing geopolitical instability have not discouraged departures, nor have fare increases, which have nonetheless marked an increase of +18 percent over the past 12 months. Agencies in Central Italy and the Northwest reported the largest increases in revenue (+9.8 percent and +9.0 percent), while intercontinental travel and cruises led the industry's positive trend. People turn to organized tourism services mainly for protection and assistance guarantees: requests to purchase travel policies have increased by an average of 26.7 percent in the past year. Foreign destinations are among the favorites, with Europe in first place. There is no shortage of requests for Italian destinations. And for spring bridge bookings, there is evidence of a slight slowdown in the market: requests register -2.8 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
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