According to Italy’s Ministry of Tourism, more than 4 million overnight stays and over 1 million additional visitors were recorded in July 2026 compared with the same month in 2025. The total number of overnight stays increased by 4.4 percent, while the number of Italian visitors rose by 2.3 percent and foreign visitors by 6.0 percent.
Small Towns Gain Importance
The ministry said small towns played an important role in the increase in visitor numbers. The 5.3 percent rise in visitor numbers was described as a sign of the growing popularity of experiential and seasonally adapted tourism.
In the first half of 2026, Calabria, with a 12.1 percent increase, Abruzzo with 10.9 percent, and Piedmont with 9.8 percent recorded the highest growth rates among the regions in terms of visitor numbers to small towns.
The trend is also supported by more than 20,000 annual festivals, which attract 48 million visitors, generate €2.1 billion in revenue, and create approximately 10,500 jobs.
