- Italy recorded almost 47m arrivals in Q2 2026, down 0.8pc year-on-year
- Overnight stays rose 3.9pc to nearly 148m
- Foreign visitors made up a record 61.6pc of total stays
- The average stay lengthened to 3.15 nights
- Employment in the tourism sector expanded by 246,000 annually
Istat figures for the second quarter of 2026 show that accommodation establishments recorded almost 47m arrivals. While overall arrivals decreased by 0.8pc on an annual basis, tourist presences increased by 3.9pc to nearly 148m. Foreign visitors accounted for a record 61.6pc of stays, up 4.6pc, with Italian guests increasing by 2.7pc.
The average stay lengthened slightly to 3.15 nights. The data indicates that while slightly fewer individual travellers arrived, those who did visit stayed for longer periods. Parallel data from Istat shows that the labour market expanded alongside tourism activity with employment up by 155,000 people in Q2 and 246,000 on an annual basis.
The overall trend for the year indicates a move toward proximity tourism and inland destinations such as Abruzzo and Molise as travellers seek to bypass traditional mass tourism hotspots. May recorded as the tourism peak for the quarter.
