GDP share generated by travel & tourism in Italy 1999-2020

Due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the share of GDP generated by the travel and tourism industry in Italy almost halved in 2020 over the previous year. In 2020, the share of GDP generated by tourism in Italy was seven percent, while it peaked at 13.1 percent in 2019. Overall, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in Italy amounted to nearly 116 billion euros in 2020.

Contribution of travel and tourism to employment

As a result of the pandemic, also the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Italy experienced a decrease in 2020 when compared to the previous year. Overall, this industry generated, directly and indirectly, about 3.2 million jobs in 2020. When considering only the direct contribution of travel and tourism to employment in Italy this industry directly supported roughly 1.7 million jobs in 2019.

The COVID-19 impact on tourism spending in Italy

In 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic turned the travel and tourism industry upside down, as governments implemented stay-at-home measures to contain the health emergency. In March 2020, the spending of international tourists in Italy went down sharply over the previous year. Overall, according to a December 2020 study, total tourist spending in Italy was predicted to drop dramatically in 2020, decreasing by roughly 95 billion euros over 2019.