Italy has confirmed its status as Europe's tourism leader for summer 2026, outperforming its long-standing Mediterranean rivals. According to the Ministry of Tourism's Statistics Office, more than half of online-bookable accommodations are already booked—a saturation rate of 51.2%, compared to 42.8% in Spain and 32.9% in France—with an average rate of €153, which is less than Spain's €170 and Greece's €195. 172 million visitors are expected between July and August. The surprise lies in travellers' preferences: topping the list is not traditional seaside tourism but lake tourism, led by Lake Garda, which records the highest occupancy rate of all (54%), followed jointly by spa resorts and seaside destinations at 51%. The regions with the highest occupancy are Veneto (57.5%), Emilia-Romagna (56.7%), and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The fastest growth in arrivals during the first half of the year, however, has been recorded by Calabria (+10.54%), Umbria (+9.70%) and Piedmont (+9.22%), with Italy as a whole posting growth of +4.43%. International demand is driving the boom: searches for flights to Italy increased by 26%, with increases from Poland (+76%), Germany (+66%), and Spain (+48%), accompanied by a 14% rise in seats on direct flights. Ferragosto also looks to be a busy holiday, with searches for flights between August 14 and 16 up 17%.