Matera 2026: data, professionalism and investment key to sustainable

Matera 2026: data, professionalism and investment key to sustainable tourism

Early 2026 figures show encouraging signs for Matera — a small increase in average length of stay and busy spring holiday periods — but also reveal challenges in service management and long-term planning.

Mayor Antonio Nicoletti has called for competence, collaboration and fair public-private dialogue, stressing that successful tourism cannot rely on ad hoc measures but requires stable professional roles and funding. While awaiting announced national and regional grants, the city is debating a modest adjustment to the visitor tax with earmarked use to improve sector services.

Key priorities identified by the administration and local operators include:

• strengthening essential services (public transport in the Sassi, public restrooms, access to cultural sites);
• boosting institutional promotion to increase stays and diversify the year-round offer;
• creating full-time tourism roles and operational structures for continuous planning;
• piloting place-making initiatives (e.g. festive lighting in the Sassi) and programming high-quality events throughout the year.

The consultative Tourism Technical Table has fostered dialogue but also highlighted disagreements: some associations have shifted positions between meetings and public statements, underlining the need for clearer rules of engagement. Financially, the municipality notes that without additional resources — either public funds or targeted visitor-tax revenues — it will be difficult to meet all requests, such as enhanced promotion for the Festa della Bruna and other cultural events.

Matera's challenge is twofold: use data to inform decisions and build a culture of enterprise that works continuously and professionally to support the destination over the medium and long term. This approach is essential for turning the Mediterranean Capital of Culture 2026 spotlight into sustainable benefits for the territory.