A great desire for holidays and for the imminent Christmas holidays 17.4 million Italians are ready to leave: 12 million will be traveling at Christmas while another 5.4 million will choose New Year’s Eve. A mass of tourists that will fuel a turnover of over 13 billion euros, in line with the figure recorded in 2019. Holidays that will be characterized by proximity: almost 99% will remain in Italy, supporting the growth of the GDP. These are the key numbers that emerge from a survey by Federalberghi which highlights an average of 6.9 nights for those who will spend Christmas traveling while for New Year’s Eve the duration will be 3.6 nights. Travels in the name of proximity, without straying too far from the region of residence without forgetting those who will join their families of origin.
The holidays will be a mix between the desire for relaxation, sports in the mountains and culture in the villages and cities of art. You will save on consumption to favor your stay and also the experiences related to the world of food and wine. «A declaration of love by Italians for Italy – comments Bernabò Bocca, president of Federalberghi, on the survey carried out for the Federation by Acs Marketing Solutions between 7 and 12 December -. We have become less xenophilic it seems. Over the past two years, many have spent their holidays at home due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. But today that we are more or less out of it, Italians choose to devote energy and money to a “made in Italy” holiday no longer as a fallback, but as a choice. In our sector, we can only be satisfied with the collection of these data. But this is a new Christmas for us. Let’s not forget that last year we were still under pressure and our choices depended on the covid Christmas decree. Now the high energy price, which knocked out the budgets of families and businesses, and the conflict in Ukraine, have created a significant obstacle for planning. Many Italians have given up on the hypothesis of the trip, not being reassured by the situation. This year we are more projected forward, despite the many difficulties. And, above all, the desire for Italy remains».
Choices for Christmas and New Year
Those who go on holiday at Christmas will allocate an average of 842 euros: almost 800 for those who will stay in Italy and 2,300 euros for those who will go abroad. Most of the traveler’s spending will go towards meals (30.1%) and travel (25%). Accommodation costs will absorb 17.7% of the budget and shopping 11.5% of the budget. For New Year’s Eve the budget will be 553 euros: 480 euros for those staying in Italy and 959 euros for those going abroad. For New Year’s Eve the majority (89.6%) will choose to stay in Italy, scattered mainly between the mountains (30.4%), cities other than their residence (30.4%) or places of art (27.9% ). The remaining 10.4% will instead opt for abroad, preferring the big European capitals (78.6%) and the sea (10.7%). For this New Year’s Eve the budget, in line with last year, will focus mainly on meals (31.2%), accommodation (26.6%) and travel (20.1%). 8.9% will be reserved for shopping. Those who stay at home will do so mainly for economic reasons (60.6%), followed by family reasons (33%) and health reasons (13.8%).
The pre-pandemic comparison