Italian business travelers
The COVID-19 pandemic cuts both ways. The outbound business travel from Italy went down by 54.5 percent in 2020, and despite the slight recovery in 2021, the 9.5 million Italian business travelers registered in that year were still far from the annual figures from the past decade. Consequently, similar changes occurred in the outbound business travel spending. In 2021, Italians who traveled for work purposes to other countries spent over five billion euros in total. In 2019, the total spending surmounted eight billion euros. In relation to the total outbound tourism expenditure in Italy, nonetheless, business travel increased its share during COVID-19.Business travel in Europe
In the latest Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) by the World Economic Forum, Italy was rated as the eighth-best country for non-leisure travel in Europe. Western Europe dominated the top spots, with the best classifications going to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Overall, this region had a strong presence in the business travel industry. In recent years, Western Europe had a share of around one fifth of the global business tourism spending.Europe is considerably the most common host of international meetings and conventions worldwide, having accounted for more than half of the events held in the past two decades. According to a 2021 index, the top European destinations for such meetings are usually the capital cities. But in the case of Italy, Milan outranked Rome.
