Identikit of the cultural tourist 2022: spends big, visits villages and loves nature

Italy’s vast cultural heritage is the second most important motivation for tourists to vacation in our country, after nature. This is according to a survey, covering data for 2022, conducted by Isnart (National Institute for Tourism Research) for the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce.

Isnart estimated, in 2022, as many as 142 million presences between overnight stays in accommodations and lodgings in private homes: more than half of the presences are Italian (55 percent, 78.8 million), while 63.6 million foreigners chose Italy for their vacations. As anticipated, natural beauty is the main attraction for vacations in Italy, but Isnart found that the link between cultural and nature vacations has been consolidated. In addition, it has emerged that tourists interested in culture now no longer stop only at major art cities, but also want to get to know the country’s inland villages, where the link between culture and the outdoors is closer. Italian cultural tourists in particular are the ones most attracted by the combination with nature destinations (22.2 percent). Foreign tourists, on the other hand, are driven by the desire to discover novelty (22 percent), combined with the desire to discover typical local food and wine (18.1 percent).

How does a cultural vacation take place? Tourists who choose culture for their vacations mostly visit historical centers (35.3%), monuments (30.1%), palaces and castles (28%), museums (25.3%) and archaeological sites (18%). But according to Isnart, the most interesting figure is that cultural tourists also do a lot of hiking and nature trips (57.1 percent), more than the average Italian tourist (47 percent). This is an interest that appears to have grown “with the pandemic,” as in 2019 cultural tourists who engaged in excursions and outings were 30.3 percent.

Tourists then showed that they wanted to visit new places, an interest that emerged for 20 percent of the sample, who indicated their preference for non-trivial or obvious destinations. This figure is up from 14.3 percent in 2019: Isnart interpreted this increase as a result of restrictions due to Covid that pushed tourists to “break out” to discover new places.

As for budget,cultural travelers spend significantly more per day than the average Italian tourist on purchases of goods and services while on vacation: 93 euros on average versus 74 euros. This is a significant spending trend, which also exceeds the 70 euros recorded in 2019 and is not exclusively related to the current inflationary spiral. The budget allocated to lodging stands at 61 euros per day, while the focus on value for money triples (from 4.1 percent in 2019 to 13 percent in 2022): in this case, inflation has had a big impact. Spending items in this sector include an average of 26 euros per person at restaurants and pizzerias, 21 euros in recreational activities (e.g., cinema), 13 euros in tickets/cards for museums and monuments, and 12 euros for the purchase of food and wine products. Foreign tourists, on the other hand, appear inclined to spend slightly more than Italian tourists, both on food and wine (28 euros in restaurants and pizzerias) and culture (14 euros in tickets/cards).

The cultural tourist also gets information via the web: 1 in 2 is influenced by the Internet. The web, according to Isnart, plays a key role in the dissemination of logistical and experiential information, for the cultural tourist. In choosing the ideal destination, in fact, 1 in 2 cultural tourists is influenced by the Internet, a share that remains unchanged looking at 2019 and, in parallel, is higher than that associated with the average Italian tourist in 2022 (33.0%).

“One in 5 tourists is looking for new experiences and destinations to discover,” stresses Loretta Credaro, Isnart’s new president. “This is an emerging phenomenon that should not be underestimated in the planning of the local tourism offer and that aims to highlight even the small excellences of the territory. Good value for money is a must in cultural tourism, which is a decisive factor of choice for Italians and foreigners, also accomplice to the cost of living in recent months. The trend, which is increasingly shared among tourist demand, is aimed at a search for quality in the entire local supply system. The real key to success for an Italian tourist destination is to be found in the dialogue and coordination of initiatives put in place by the various active players, public and private, of the extended hospitality chain.”

Photo: Montepulciano

Identikit of the cultural tourist 2022: spends big, visits villages and loves nature

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