Monthly number of Italian outbound tourists 2018-2021

In 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit the tourism sector hard, as countries had to restrict international travel in order to limit the spread of the virus. At the beginning of March, the Italian government imposed a national lockdown. This emergency measure was eventually eased in May. In March 2020, the number of Italian outbound tourists dropped sharply over the monthly figures of the previous two years, reaching around 1.6 million. In April, this figure decreased further, as just 826 thousand Italian tourists traveled abroad. In February 2021, the number of outbound tourists added up to 787 thousand, while nearly 3.9 million Italian tourists traveled abroad in February 2020.

Italians prefer to book flights and stay in hotels when traveling abroad

In 2019, most trips by outbound Italian tourists were made by aircraft. Moreover, whereas using the car was another popular way of traveling abroad, only a small percentage of tourists used the train for international trips. Furthermore, most Italian outbound tourists preferred to stay in hotels as of 2019. They accounted for roughly 38 percent of all Italians travelling abroad in that year.

Main reasons why Italians travel abroad

In 2019, most Italian tourists mainly travelled abroad for pleasure or relax. Moreover, joining cultural activities and enjoying the local natural beauty were other important reasons for travelling abroad in the selected year.