The holidays are just around the corner and Italy sets out along the ridges that connect North and South on a traditional journey to spend Christmas or the last day of the year together. Federalberghi estimates that more than 17 million Italians will relocate in this latter part of 2022, following the contraction of the past two years due to Covid. And the good weather forecast for the next few days invites you to travel.
Once again, Italy will be the preferred destination: one will not stray far from the region of residence and many of those who have a more challenging journey ahead will do so to reach their families of origin. About 12 million Italians leaving for Christmas will spend an average of 7 nights away from home, while the New Year holidays will last less than 3-4 nights and will affect about 5 million 400,000 Italians. Above all, the desire to relax wins, to regain mastery of time, especially in mountain destinations, to enjoy the artistic and cultural heritage of the country and to experience nature to the fullest, without giving up experiences related to the world of food and wine. According to Federalberghi, sales will top 13 billion euros, bringing total spending back to 2019 levels.
But let’s get to the research figures. 98.9% stay in Italy versus 1.1% who choose to go abroad. Of those who will stay, 72.3% will not leave their region. Cities other than home (36.8%) lead the list of preferred Italian travel destinations, followed by art locations (24.6%), mountains (24.5%) and seaside resorts (6.5%). When choosing accommodation, the home of relatives/friends remains at the top (43%), while they opt for the comfort of the hotel structure for 23.3%. During the stay dedicated to holidays, an average of 842 euros is spent per capita (795 euros for those staying in Italy and 2,300 euros for those going abroad). Most of the traveler’s spending goes towards meals (30.1%) and travel (25%). Accommodation costs will consume 17.7% of the budget and shopping costs 11.5% of the budget. The expected turnover will be over 10 billion euros (10 billion and 122 million euros), with an increase of 20.4% compared to Christmas 2021.
On New Year’s Eve, the majority (89.6%) decide to stay in Italy, preferring the mountains (30.4%), cities other than where they live (30.4%) or places of art (27.9%). The remaining 10.4% choose to go abroad instead, preferring the big European capitals (78.6%) and the sea (10.7%). The preferred accommodation remains the home of relatives/friends (for 29.1% of the cases), while 23.5% choose a hotel. The average per capita expenditure (including transport, accommodation, food and entertainment) is 553 euros (480 euros for those staying in Italy and 959 euros for those going abroad). For this New Year’s Eve, as in the previous year, the budget will mainly focus on food (31.2%), accommodation (26.6%) and travel (20.1%). 8.9% are reserved for shopping. Sales of almost 3 billion euros (2 billion and 980 million) are expected for the New Year holidays, compared to 2 billion and 90 million last year.
So everyone is ready to travel, with Farnesina’s recommendation for those going abroad. After the welcome message from their operator, compatriots leaving between December 20 and January 6 will receive an invitation to download the crisis management team’s free app and register their trip abroad. A simple gesture that can make all the difference in a crisis, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.