
We are in full spring and summer is practically upon us: the The protagonist of this period of the year is undoubtedly seaside tourism which in recent weeks has been preparing for the hot season, hoping to get closer to the 2019 numbers. But the great unknown of the Italian summer is linked to the foreign market and therefore to destinations which had a strong international connotation of flows.
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The cities of art during the year 2020, almost total collapse
Special observations are the cities of art; the destinations who suffered the most during 2020. Florence, for example, lost 80,6% of tourist presences compared to 2019, losing around 11 million overnight stays. Also for Venice the decrease was very strong, of -72,5% (-9 million visitors); as well as for Napoli with, a -74,7% (-3 million). The market that contracted the most was, inevitably, the foreign one which was missed even in 2021. The situation certainly did not improve with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which cast a heavy shadow on the long-awaited restart phase.
The war between Russia and Ukraine does not inspire fear: we return to travel
But after discovering that, in reality, the crisis Ukraine He had a very limited impact on tourists' travel intentions, the hunt for foreign tourists has begun again. Today the most important question not only of tourist operators but also of those who manage them destinations, it simply isn't when foreign tourists will return; but most of all which markets. Yes, because due to events, some markets (such as the Russian one or even the Chinese one) are and will remain on stand-by for a long time to come; while others will take their place.
Going into the details of the individual ones mete tourism, we realize that although the art city product has consolidated characteristics, there are major differences between one city and another. Certainly in the volumes: among the three, Florence it is the one with the highest share of searches for overnight stays; at least eight times greater than the volumes of Napoli.
The summer of cities of art: Florence at the top of desires
Tourism in Florence: 87% is foreign, in particular from the USA
Foreign tourism has always been a pillar for Florentine tourism: the territory has for years been organized in such a way as to be able to respond to the needs of this market; despite a good presence of national tourism, especially in terms of hiking tourism and school tourism. But if in 2019 there was talk of overtourism, in 2022 we are desperately trying to understand when and which foreigners will return.
According to the data, foreigners have already started looking for overnight stays again for the next few months: among the three cities analysed, Florence it is the one with the largest share of searches coming from foreigners, around 87% of the total.
Considering the individual nationalities, in first place are the United States (100, Index number), with a volume of searches that doubles those of Italians (41). That Americans were in love with Florence and we already knew about Italy, but it is also true that with the outbreak of the war we feared a negative reaction from them. It is not obvious, therefore, that the US market is not only active, but even more active than the domestic market.
Americans are looking for overnight stays in Florence especially for September and the first weeks of July, with an average stay of 2,8 nights. At the moment searches are mostly for the couples segment, which has an average booking window of 100 days; higher than that of families (88 days) which however represent a much lower share.

Tourism in Venice: 83% is foreign with strong seasonality
Even for the Serenissima, foreign tourists have a central role for the local economy: the high rate of internationalization of flows has always strongly influenced the destinations nearby tourists, who were able to exploit the tourist flow of Venice as if it were a large demand-generating center.
Foreigners today represent just over 83% of travel intentions. According to the stay window, which shows us searches based on the selected check-in day, foreigners are keeping demand high in July, despite it not usually being their favorite month to visit cities. Definitely, unlike Florence, the seasonality of demand is less accentuated: Venice it is still a seaside destination (also), a connotation that allows it to have good demand even in August.
In first place among the most active countries there are always United States (110, Index number); not very far from Italy (70). Also in this case, Americans have an average stay of less than three nights (specifically, 2,7) and prefer to travel in September. The French, on the other hand, are the third largest market Venice, are interested in longer stays of 3,7 nights and are mainly looking for stays in August.

Tourism in Naples: only 68% is foreign
With Napoli, the composition of demand changes substantially: among the three, it is the city with the lowest share of foreign tourism (68%), as well as having a relatively low volume of searches compared to its competitors. This certainly affects the stay window, which is more compressed towards July and has no demand for September. Although it is also a seaside destination (also), tourists' travel intentions are all for the last minute of July, while August is still subdued.
Italians are the first active market (100, Index Number), while foreigners follow at a great distance: United States (37) French (32) and Germany (29). Regarding the average stay, the French are looking for stays lasting an average of 4,4 nights; the highest value after the Belgians (7,7 nights) who, however, have a much lower share of searches. For Germans and Americans, however, the average stay is 2,7 and 2,4 nights respectively. Arrival periods are also different: for the French, August is the best month to visit Napoli; Americans continue to prefer September, while Germans are looking for overnight stays especially for early July.

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