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Shorter holidays for Italians in the first quarter of the year with 20.6 million departures due to the carnival and Easter which falls “low” this year while the ski slopes are affected by unseasonal temperatures. A combination of factors that pushes us to take breaks, with more departures and trying to avoid the high season periods. This is what the Confcommercio Tourism Observatory finds in collaboration with SWG for the first quarter of 2024. 13 million Italians will travel and take one or more holidays for 20.6 million departures, almost always short, with overnight stays in hotels, formula chosen by more than half of travelers. Those who treat themselves to a holiday of a week or more will opt for a hotel (20%), followed by second homes and the hospitality of friends and relatives to respect the limits imposed by the budget. As regards the choices of destinations when it comes to a long weekend, cities and places of art are affirming themselves with 38% of preferences while the duration of the “ski week” is shortening which now has an average of between 3 and 5 overnight stays . With an intense cultural offer – cities of art and villages – but also inland and coastal locations, the preferred destination regions are Tuscany, Lazio and Emilia Romagna, especially for short holidays, while, for longer trips, the favorite destination is Trentino-Alto Adige.
Carnival effect
Cento, Viareggio, Venice, Biella, Putignano, Fano, Mamoiada. The Peninsula offers dozens and dozens of carnival parties that encourage the discovery of the smaller villages. There are almost 7 million Italians who will travel for a total of 7.3 million departures. The most popular formula is that of short breaks with a maximum of 2 nights’ stay, while there are 2 million travel opportunities lasting between 3 and 6 days and one million for those lasting at least 7 days. Looking at the carnival week compared to 2023, 15% of the sample is certain or almost certain of starting with a drop of two percentage points. The forecast is for 5.3 million travelers who will set in motion a business that will fluctuate between 1.7 and 2.4 billion. The vast majority, 92%, of travelers will remain in Italy, choosing above all Tuscany, Veneto, Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. 40% will remain in the region of residence and two thirds will spend a maximum of two nights away from home. For another 28% the holiday will last on average 4 or 5 days and only for 6% the holiday will last more than 6 days. After the art cities, chosen to spend this period by 2 out of 10 Italians, come the mountain and seaside resorts, each with 18%. Hotels and B&Bs overall capture the attention of over 6 out of 10 holidaymakers: second homes follow for 2 out of 10, especially among those who choose coastal destinations, and hospitality with relatives and friends.