Italy is a favorite destination for 88% of vacationers: here are the most popular regions this summer.

According to the survey conducted by Tecnè for Federalberghi, this summer 36.1 million Italians will travel , for a turnover of 41.3 billion euros, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2024.

Italy is the top choice for summer: 88% of travelers choose to vacation there.

The most significant data from this summer is the confirmation of Italy as a favorite holiday destination . It's not just foreigners who love it, but – according to the data – 88% of Italians will choose to stay within their own borders. This trend reflects the ability of domestic tourism to offer authentic, accessible, and diverse experiences.

The 12% of Italians who choose foreign destinations, however, will prefer seaside locations near Italy (57%), European capitals (16.4%) and, for the luckiest, tropical destinations (10.7%).

The most popular regions

Among the most popular regions this summer, according to the report, are:

• Tuscany;
• Emilia-Romagna;
• Sicily;
• Puglia;
• Lombardy;
• Campania;
• Sardinia.

The main priorities for holidaymakers' choices are the sea (76.9%), nature, tranquility , but also culture and wellness. They are followed by mountain , lake, and spa destinations (16%) and, to a lesser extent, cities of art (4.2%).

Holidays are getting longer (but broken up) and are becoming less seasonal

An interesting aspect of the new scenario is the deseasonalization . While August remains the busiest month with 17.5 million holidaymakers, June (15.7 million) and July (16.1 million) are growing significantly, with a good number also in September (4.7 million). As Federalberghi President Bernabò Bocca points out, " August is losing its centrality while June and September are growing. This is a very positive sign: a more distributed, more sustainable, and more accessible tourism is emerging."

Another significant trend is the fragmentation of vacations: the "traditional" two-week vacation is giving way to a new way of organizing leisure time. A third of travelers (33.6%) will take more than one vacation, breaking up the summer season into shorter but more frequent stays. This strategic choice allows travelers to optimize costs, better accommodate work schedules, and experience more destinations.

Shorter holidays, but average spending on the rise

The average length of the main holiday is 10 days (slightly down from 10.3 in 2024), while additional holidays average 4.4 days. However, it's the average per capita spending that truly reveals the paradigm shift: 888 euros for the main holiday , 518 euros for additional holidays, with an increasing average daily spending, a sign that the quality of the tourist experience is growing rather than the quantity.

The overall total of estimated tourist consumption for the summer reaches 41.3 billion euros , distributed as follows:

• 11 billion in June;
• 12.4 billion in July;
• 15.9 billion in August;
• 2 billion in September.

Spending distribution reflects an increasingly "experiential" vacation . Not surprisingly, 28.7% of the budget is dedicated to food, 23.6% to accommodations, 21.1% to transportation, 11.2% to shopping, and the remaining 15.4% to recreational, cultural, and excursion activities.

This transformation is also confirmed by vacationers' favorite activities , including walking (72.3%), evenings with friends (51.2%), trips and excursions (47.8%), and restaurant dinners (44%). Furthermore, the choice of destinations is primarily driven by natural beauty (66.8%), familiarity with the location (33.2%), ease of access (26.5%), and recreational opportunities (21.6%). This demonstrates that contemporary tourists seek 360-degree experiences, immersed in culture and landscape.

Where to sleep and how to travel

Among overnight accommodations, the most popular remains staying at a friend's or relative's house ( 28.8%), closely followed by hotels (26.3%), which remain the centerpiece of structured hospitality. Next come owner-occupied homes (11.9%), B&Bs (7.7%), campsites (7%), short-term rentals (5.3%), residences (4.9%), and tourist villages (4%).

For travel, the car remains the preferred means (66.6%), followed by plane (20.7%) and train (4.4%). Direct booking is the most popular method (46.3%), with 3 out of 4 Italians planning their holidays 1-2 months in advance.

Tourism as a driver of inclusion (but the accessibility issue remains)

However, there is another side to the coin that cannot be ignored: 49.2% of Italians will not go on holiday between June and September, mainly for economic (54.8%), health (24.5%), or family (23.9%) reasons.

The picture emerging from the Tecnè-Federalberghi survey depicts a rapidly evolving sector, growing in quality rather than quantity , deseasonalizing, fragmenting, and diversifying. Above all, it demonstrates that Italy remains—and increasingly so—a favorite destination for millions of people. However, Bocca reminds us, the ideal now would be "to work toward more accessible tourism, capable of offering opportunities for well-being for all."