Italy’s tourism landscape is growing and becoming more diverse, with visitor flows spreading beyond the summer peak and traditional hotspots, while 9 of the country’s 15 fastest-growing emerging destinations are in Southern Italy.
FLORENCE, 14 October 2026 – Italy continues to build on its established tourism appeal while seeing shifts in when and where visitors travel. The Data Appeal Company/Almaviva Group’s annual All Italian Data report identifies five key trends shaping the country’s tourism performance in the last 12 months (Sept 25 – Aug 2026), based on insights from the Data Appeal Mabrian Travel Intelligence Platform.
#1 – Growing air connectivity is set to continue, with capacity expected to rise +11.8% over the next six months
Total air capacity to Italy increased by +5.1% year on year over the past 12 months, mainly driven by international capacity rising by +8.6% and low-cost carrier capacity growing by +7.2%.
The upward trend is set to continue, with air capacity forecast to grow by +11.8% between September 2026 and March 2027, with strong increases projected for lower-demand months.
#2 – Italy is increasingly becoming a year-round destination
Italy’s Summer Dependence Rate stands at 52.8%, significantly below those of other major Mediterranean destinations, including Greece (79.1%) and Croatia (72.9%).
Events are also helping to extend the tourism season: Nearly two in three events take place during the low season, generating 58.2% of the country’s total expected event attendance.
#3 – Travel demand is expanding beyond Italy’s traditional hotspots
Tourism growth is increasingly reaching destinations beyond Italy’s established hubs, particularly in the South.
Destinations in Puglia, Calabria and Basilicata account for nine of the 15 fastest-growing emerging destinations, including Reggio Calabria, Bari and Tropea. The ranking is based on growth in accommodation-related reviews on major OTAs.
#4 – International visitors account for nearly half of all travellers and rate Italy highly
Analysis of the travellers’ perception over the last 12 months across major travel and review platforms, including Google, Booking.com and TripAdvisor, reveals that international visitors express exceptionally high levels of satisfaction with Italy, achieving a sentiment score of 87/100, compared with 85/100 among domestic travellers.
The four leading international source markets also recorded year-on-year improvements in sentiment, with satisfaction scores increasing among visitors from Germany (+0.63 pp), the United Kingdom (+0.43 pp), Spain (+0.42 pp) and France (+0.39 pp), further confirming Italy’s strong appeal among international travellers.
#5 – Culture and gastronomy remain at the heart of Italy’s appeal
Art & Culture and Food & Wine remain the leading drivers of travel demand, accounting for 38% and 15% of demand drivers, respectively.
These preferences are reflected in the experiences travellers book online. Cultural activities account for 48.8% of reviewed experiences, while gastronomy represents 21.3% and achieves the highest average rating, at 9.7/10.
“Italian tourism is entering a new phase, expanding both in time and space.” says Carlos Cendra, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Data Appeal. “Travel demand is becoming more evenly distributed throughout the year, while a broader range of destinations is gaining momentum across the country. The challenge now is not simply to attract more visitors, but to turn this evolution into higher-quality demand and more balanced, sustainable growth, spreading the value of tourism across more destinations and seasons.”
Full report can be downloaded here: https://datappeal.io/free-report-italy-digital-destination-2026
