Tourism in Italy: revenue rises, but Sicily accounts for only 3.7%

Tourism in Italy: revenue rises, but Sicily accounts for only 3.7%

Istat data depict a thriving Italian tourism sector: the direct and indirect contribution of tourism to GDP reached €237.4 billion (2025 figure) and tourism-related employment accounts for 13.2% of the workforce. Long-term projections estimate growth to €282.6 billion and an employment impact of 15.7% by 2035.

Spending by international visitors confirms the appeal of Made in Italy: foreign travellers spent €60.4 billion in the last year, a figure projected to approach €80 billion over the next decade.

Regional flows remain uneven. Four regions — Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lazio and Tuscany — attract nearly half of all overnight stays. By macro-area, the North‑East leads with 181.1 million presences (+2.7%), followed by the Centre with 115.2 million (+5.9%) and the North‑West with 79.4 million (+4.4%). The South records 57.6 million presences.

Sicily, while improving from 16.4 to 17.3 million presences over the last year, remains in 9th place nationally and accounts for only 3.7% of Italy's total tourist flows.

Risks that could hamper further growth include international instabilities and rising energy and transport costs. The Ministry of Tourism has opened talks with industry associations to consider emergency support and structural measures, within the constraints of public budgets and European rules on state aid.

To better capitalise on regions like Sicily, operators and local authorities point to several practical priorities:

• Improving connectivity — investing in transport and internal links to facilitate visitor movement.
• Integrated promotion — campaigns that combine food and wine, archaeology, landscapes and cultural events.
• Sustainable tourism — developing low-impact products and routes to extend the season.
• Accommodation quality and training — improving hospitality and professional skills of staff.
• Events and heritage activation — a distributed cultural calendar to spread visitor flows across territories.

Istat's figures outline overall growth, but also the need for targeted territorial policies to rebalance flows and turn international interest into widespread benefits across the country.