Summer 2022, in art cities, tourism marks important numbers

Record-breaking tourists in art cities this summer 2002. This is said by several surveys made in recent weeks: from Assoturismo-Confesercenti with two studies by the CST Center for Tourism Studies, to Unioncamere with a study by the Observatory on the Economy of Tourism of the Chambers of Commerce, from theConfcommercio Tourism Observatory, in a survey made in collaboration with Swg, to Federalberghi, in its forecast survey made with ACS Marketing Solutions, to Enit.

Art cities on the shields in this recovery with 27 million overnight stays (of which 64 percent of foreign tourists and 36 percent of Italians) expected equal to an increase of +24.6 percent over 2021. Per the CST-Assoturismo survey, “cultural tourism is restarting faster than all other segments, thanks to the return of foreigners (+34%), and boosting consumption: +9.1 billion in the first 8 months of the year, 1.4% of the national total. But the rush of bills weighs on business margins.” Italy’s cultural heritage, therefore, is once again winning foreign and domestic visitors, and cities of art are bidding for the role of summer protagonists: between June and August, 27.4 million presences are expected, more than 5.5 million more than in 2021. This boom is mainly due to the return of tourists from abroad: foreign tourist presences are expected to be over 17.5 million, 34 percent more than last summer.

Important numbers but still not enough to fully recover the levels of 2019, when there were 44 million visitors to cities of art. The increase, however, confirms the newfound vitality of cultural tourism, which already recorded a total of 30.3 million overnight stays in the first 5 months of 2022. This is good news not only for accommodation facilities but for the entire cultural tourism supply chain, from museums to cultural and archaeological sites, from tour guides to catering, from rental and transportation services to commercial activities: a total of 343 thousand businesses and more than 1.4 million employees in the production sectors directly or indirectly involved. According to Assoturismo-Cst estimates, between January and August 2022, cultural tourism will generate 9.1 billion euros in tourism spending, including 4.3 billion euros in the summer quarter alone, 53 percent of which will be generated by foreign demand, accounting for 1.4 percent of total domestic consumption. This is enough of a boost to almost completely cancel out the decline in household spending expected for the same period due to rising inflation (-10 billion euros).

The growth in foreign tourist presences during the summer quarter will be sustained mainly by European tourists and the U.S., but a very small contribution to tourist spending will also come from the modest share of non-European tourists returning to the cities of art after a long period of almost complete standstill in bookings.

The study conducted by Centro Studi Turistici starts from analysis and interviews with more than 1,200 entrepreneurs carried out in the top 100 art cities (by bed capacity, market notoriety and tourist attendance) distributed throughout the country: 17 are located in the Northwest regions, 28 in the Northeast regions, 30 in Central Italy and 25 in the Southern regions and Islands. Between 2020 and the first quarter of 2022, 6,697 accommodation businesses ceased operations. A real hemorrhage of activity that has not been compensated by new openings: from the beginning of the pandemic to date, only 3,707 new hotels and hotels have been born, for a negative balance of -2,990 businesses ’disappeared’ in just over two years: almost seven per day.

For the last weekend of July, the Italian accommodation system is expected to record 6.4 million overnight stays, with an overall occupancy of 82 percent of rooms available online. This is up from the same period in 2021 and also 2019, which had recorded an occupancy rate of 78 percent. But there is no shortage of difficulties: flight chaos and high gasoline prices penalize southern resorts, while many businesses report a reduction in vacationers’ spending.

A similar survey by Unioncamere speaks of a “redemption of the cities of art” particularly affected by the pandemic: the “most significant and encouraging recovery,” it says, “is that expected for the cities of art, among the most penalized destinations due to the health emergency. Compared to last year, these record bookings of just over half of the available rooms for the months of July (54.5 percent) and slightly less for August (45.7 percent), compared to just about 18 percent last year.” Forty percent of operators surveyed by the Chambers of Commerce Observatory report an increase in foreign customers, while only half expect a decrease. This figure is particularly relevant as it indicates a recovery in the segment that had been most affected by the Covid crisis. These are, predominantly, tourists from Germany (+31.9 percent compared to 2021), while they find substantial confirmation and growth potential compared to last year’s levels in flows from Switzerland, Austria, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Both the Unioncamere and Assoturismo studies highlight the increase in the cost of energy goods recorded this year, which together with staff recruitment are the main problems indicated by the tour operators interviewed.

Just cite one figure: at current prices, an average hotel would spend an amount of 98,519 euros in 2022 for the annual supply of electricity, more than 42,511 euros more than in 2021. The Confcommercio Tourism Observatory, carried out in collaboration with Swg, at the end of July estimates 27 million Italians leaving for vacation between July and September, 88 percent of them to domestic destinations, mainly by the sea (44 percent) and in the mountains (15 percent), but with a good recovery also of art cities, which, added to small towns, reach 21 percent of preferences.

Federturismo, as reported by Il Sole 24 ore, also estimates about 30 million arrivals of Italians between June and September, in Italy or abroad, while Federalberghi speaks of more than 34 million compatriots traveling. More difficult to estimate the number of foreigners arriving in Italy. According to Federturismo, between June and September attendance from abroad will be 25 percent higher than last year: an excellent recovery (although still below 2019 levels) benefiting mainly the cities of art, which from Easter onwards recorded significant increases, and some of the most prestigious seaside and mountain resorts, explains Federturismo president Marina Lalli to Il Sole 24 Ore: “Foreigners have returned in large numbers, especially Americans, British and Arabs. So our fears about the absence of Russians and Chinese, who are not particularly relevant in numbers but are instead relevant in average spending, are behind us.” Indeed, Global Blue found that in the five “queen” cities of the summer (Capri, Porto Cervo, Taormina, Portofino and Forte dei Marmi) the average receipt is 1,600 euros, or 30 percent higher than pre-Covid levels. Room sales also provide encouraging numbers, with a 26 percent increase in June, compared to the same month in 2021.

Federalberghi, too, in its forecast survey for summer 2022, conducted with ACS Marketing Solutions in mid-July, predicts some “self-restrictions” that vacationers will impose on themselves due to price increases, thus limiting vacation spending. “We are facing a strong restart,” comments President Bernabò Bocca. “However, it hurts to note that 43 percent of our fellow citizens had to decide to stay at home due to financial difficulties.”

Enit relies on airline booking data: “July bookings from abroad to Italy were better than our main competitors, Spain and Greece, with an increase of 146.7 percent compared to 2021,” explains Enit CEO Roberta Garibaldi. “And the trend is also confirmed for the coming months: for August an increase of +119.1 percent compared to 2021 is expected, while for September +191.2 percent.”

Summer 2022, in art cities, tourism marks important numbers

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