Travel & tourism's contribution to GDP Italy 2021

The total contribution of travel and tourism to the Italian gross domestic product (GDP) rose by around 60 billion euros in 2021 over the previous year, following a sharp drop in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2021, travel and tourism in the country generated, directly and indirectly, 162.6 billion euros. Despite the significant annual increment, this figure remained below pre-pandemic levels. Overall, the share of GDP contributed by travel and tourism in Italy was roughly nine percent in 2021.

Inbound and domestic tourism spending in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic

While domestic tourism spending in Italy bounced back in 2021, the expenditure by inbound travelers in the country did not recover at the same pace. Specifically, domestic tourism expenditure in Italy increased by 76 percent in 2021, amounting to 107 billion euros and even slightly surpassing the figure reported in 2019. In contrast, although international tourism spending in Italy increased by 3.5 billion euros compared to the previous year, it did not reach the expenditure recorded prior to the global health crisis.

Domestic tourism in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the popularity of domestic travel in Italy has grown. When looking at the distribution of trips taken by Italians, roughly nine in ten journeys were made within the country in 2021. Meanwhile, according to a March 2022 survey exploring the travel intentions of Italians in the next six months, 44 percent of respondents intended to travel domestically.