PRESS RELEASE
Summer 2024: Italy’s seaside on top, driven by food and taste
Research led by Roberta Garibaldi highlights a strong desire to enjoy food and wine experiences by the sea. Travellers aged 25 to 34 are the most active, while 19.5 million Italians are expected to travel in the coming months. Despite inflation and rising travel costs, holiday budgets are holding up relatively well.
With the start of summer, Italians are preparing for their main holiday season. Traditional seaside holidays within Italy remain the dominant choice, followed by art cities and small villages. According to Roberta Garibaldi, rising prices have only partly reduced the desire to travel. Budgets dedicated to holidays are increasing compared with 2023, and European citizens, including Italians, continue to prioritise travel over other leisure spending.
“Beach tourism confirms itself, in Italy and across Europe, as one of the preferred settings for food and wine experiences. This should encourage destinations and operators to enrich traditional seaside holidays with structured offers that help visitors discover the sea through fishing tourism and nearby production territories, building more engaging and active proposals,” says Roberta Garibaldi.
Between June and August 2024, 19.5 million Italians are expected to travel. More than half (57%) plan to stay away for over a week, 26% will choose trips of four to seven days and 11% will opt for short breaks. Only 5% say they will give up summer holidays entirely, while 1.5% will limit themselves to day trips.
Higher prices are influencing spending only partially. Forty-eight per cent of Italians report a budget similar to last year’s, 22% slightly higher and 14% slightly lower. Over-65s are the most likely to afford an increase, while younger travellers are more inclined to make budget-conscious choices.
Italians overwhelmingly want to stay in Italy, with only around one in four planning to travel abroad. The seaside clearly tops the ranking of preferred destinations, and food and wine are central to the holiday experience. Travellers want experiences linked to food, wine, olive oil, beer and the broader culture of taste. This mirrors a wider European trend: according to European Travel Commission data, food-related activities rank second among the top four desired summer experiences in seaside destinations, just behind enjoying the outdoors.
Among Italian travellers, the most desired experiences are enjoying rural landscapes (30.4%) and culinary experiences in restaurants (30.1%), both highly appreciated across age groups. These are followed by themed events and festivals (21%), wellness experiences, and visits to production sites beyond wineries, confirming a broad, 360-degree interest in food and wine tourism.
The segment most eager to discover gastronomy by the sea is the 25-34 age group. Their overall level of interest is four percentage points higher than the average, with strong peaks for wellbeing-related offers such as taste-themed trekking and MTB tours (+8.9%) and spa treatments based on wine, olive oil and similar products (+8.8%).
Art cities, including those abroad, and small villages follow the seaside in the ranking of preferred summer destinations, though at a clear distance. Mountain areas also perform well, followed by the countryside, hills and lake destinations. Seaside holidays dominate especially among travellers aged 35 to 44, while younger respondents show stronger interest in art cities, small villages and rural areas, which combine charm, history and relative affordability.
The car remains the preferred means of transport for summer 2024, chosen by 67% of Italians, partly because of the nature of the holidays selected. Public transport and trains follow at a considerable distance, at 16% and 15% respectively. Under-24s are the most open to alternatives to private cars, with 48% indicating non-car travel options.
