Big events are good for the city. This is demonstrated by the data of the study carried out by the Chamber of Commerce of Turin on the impact of Eurovision, the most important music competition in Europe hosted by Piedmont last spring: the direct effects, in terms of expenses generated on the territory, reached 22, 8 million euros to which must be added the impact in terms of image and promotion, quantified at approximately 66 million attributable to over 9 thousand articles in the press.
A total of 128,000 visitors arrived in Turin to follow the event – with a very low average age – just under half from outside the city and a share of 19% from abroad. As regards tourists, 52% were present in Turin for the first time and expressed a medium-high level of appreciation both for the shows and for the city as a tourist destination. Six out of ten people say they want to come back to visit the city again in the future.
The city of Turin and the Piedmont region are working hard on attracting events, starting with the sporting sphere. The Nitto Atp Finals will return to Turin from 12 to 19 February, in three weeks it will be the turn of the Basketball Final Eight while in 2025 it will be the turn of the Universiade, the university world championships. It is in this context that the debate on Turin’s possible contribution in view of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics takes root.
“The final decision rests with the CIO – highlighted the president of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio – but we have scientifically demonstrated that involving Turin and Piedmont means saving citizens’ money, but also the soil and the environment”. The friction that has emerged in recent days dates back to the decision of the former mayor of Turin Chiara Appendino not to nominate the city and the region to host the 2026 edition of the Games. “Unfortunately – adds Cirio – we have inherited a choice made by others, senseless and serious which has brought great damage to Piedmont, but we are very confident”.
The study also shows that 41.3% of visitors stayed overnight in non-hotel facilities, a double percentage compared to those who chose instead to stay in hotels (23.3%). «Turin is experiencing significant tourist growth but with tourist availability that must certainly be increased, also in terms of average quality level – highlights Dario Gallina, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Turin – but I believe that if we want to apply to become an attractive city from a from a tourist point of view we must increase the hotel facilities».