How has tourism changed since COVID-19 in Italy? What are the industry trends for this 2021 and what are the future prospects?
It is plain for all to see that tourism is one of the sectors that has been most affected by the pandemic crisis, and the figures seem to confirm this: the number of travel experiences made by Italians in 2020 on average decreased by 27 percent compared to 2019, and flights by 66 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association. Spending power also saw a major drop: one in three people in 2020 allocated a smaller budget to vacations than in 2019.
The pandemic has also strongly impacted the choice of travel destinations, favoring the local dimension. This is a trend that had already emerged in previous years and seems to continue this year. Also for the 2021 vacations, the so-called proximity tourism seems to be the choice of many Italians, who will prefer to explore very short-range destinations, sometimes just a few kilometers from their city, possibly confined to one place, rather than a structured itinerary with different destinations.
Meanwhile, with the arrival of mild weather, the desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors is growing. According to the article “Beauty, citizenship, finance, luxury and travel: the trends of 2021” on BeUnsocial, the most popular activities for spring 2021 are:
- walks to rediscover one’s city
- wine and food routes
- Educational activities related to the art and history of the place
- hiking in nature
More generally, thanks in part to the possibility of slowing down the hectic pace of life and having more time to devote to oneself, the trend toward outdoor activities seems likely to endure and become an increasingly established habit.
Food and wine tourism in Italy holds up to the impact of the pandemic crisis
Despite the fact that in 2020 the tourism sector is in a loss-making position,food and wine tourism in Italy has managed to withstand the impact of the pandemic crisis, maintaining the positive growth trend it has been experiencing for a few years now.
According to the “Italian Food and Wine Tourism Report 2021” edited by Roberta Garibaldi, 55 percent of people who had taken at least one overnight vacation in the past two years said they had done so for food and wine tourism, compared with 45 percent in 2019. In 2016, only 21 percent had made at least one such trip.
Thus, there is a growing culture of vacations dedicated to local products and in general to the excellence of Made in Italy, which seem likely to be the driving force behind the tourism sector.
Along with this renewed focus on typical products, there is a simultaneous growth in the wellbeing trend: in fact, the majority of food and wine tourists are interested in participating in routes and workshops on psychophysical wellbeing offered by producers and prefer those travel experiences during which it is possible to practice outdoor sports. Among the most popular activities we find:
- trekking;
- yoga;
- forest bathing.
In recent years, not only has food and wine tourism grown but also changed. To traditional winery visits, perceived as too similar by 60 percent of wine and food tourists, people prefer experiences that involve them in the activities of the farming community, such as, for example, participation in the grape harvest. Then the percentage of those who prefer to reach the winery by bicycle doubles, while the share of those who would like to use a car drops by 9 points.
As we know COVID-19 has disfavored food and wine tourism to foreign countries, while favoring Italian food and wine tourism. Among the most popular destinations for food and wine vacations in Italy are:
- Campania;
- Emilia-Romagna;
- Apulia;
- Tuscany;
- Sicily.
Recovery of tourism after COVID-19 will be influenced by the progress of the vaccination campaign
The recovery of tourism after COVID-19 will depend greatly on the progress of the vaccination campaign. Indeed, 2021 vacations will be greatly influenced by health and safety policies and the number of people who manage to get vaccinated before the summer. Should the vaccination campaign manage to continue apace, up to 70 percent of Italians could decide to go on vacation.
Despite this, according to data reported by Repubblica in its article “Summer 2021, tourism is ready to take off thanks to vaccines,” it will take at least two more years for Italy to return to normal pre-pandemic tourism activity.
Vaccines or not, again this year Italians’ favorite destinations continue to be domestic ones, mostly seaside resorts. In order of preference we find:
- Apulia
- Sardinia and Sicily
- Tuscany
In terms of mountains, however, Trentino-Alto Adige leads the way, followed by Valle d’Aosta.
