The tourism sector in Italy almost reached pre-pandemic levels last year in terms of air traffic as well as the tourism sector, in comparison to the figures for 2021. Such conclusions have been reached in the recent report provided by the National Federation of Travel and Tourism Industry. As informed by a news report in Schengen Visa.

“In 2022 the overall tourism market in Italy returned close to pre-pandemic values, almost doubling foreign travellers compared to 2021, the restart has characterized all segments of the tourism industry to some extent: from travel agencies to tours operators, but the sectors that have recorded the greatest increases in demand are above all those linked to travel with a boom in cruise holidays and an encouraging recovery in air and rail traffic,” the statement notes.

According to the report, Italy is among the European countries that experienced minor losses, despite the current situation caused by the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The trade association has considered transport an essential element in the industry of tourism and airports as an integral part of the travel experience while stressing that they are among the major challenges for a connected and fast future.

The tourism sector in Italy has also been highly affected by the preventive measures, including travel bans and other restrictions, imposed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants, which caused significant losses to the country’s economic sectors.

Italy has been among the latest European countries to abolish all such measures in order to help the country get out of the crisis provoked by the Coronavirus and its new variants, while the tourism industry has been among the most affected sectors.

Last year, the tourism sector in Italy experienced a significant improvement, however, it still was subject to significant challenges. According to the figures provided by the Italian office for statistics, Istat, for a period between January and August last year, there was recorded an increase of a total of 74.1 per cent in the number of overnight stays, compared to the figures for 2021.

In this regard, the vice president of Confturismo-Confcommercio, Luciano Serra, considered that the tourism sector in Italy continues to remain undefined, after, according to him, since 2012, there is no national definition of which businesses, and tourism professions.

It was reported that last year, the majority of internationals who visited Italy were citizens of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark, accounting for a total of 75 per cent of all foreign visitors.