" This summer has seen astonishing numbers . In the months of June, July, and August , Italy reached 276 million visitors, 5.5 million more than last year . Both Italian and foreign tourists are growing: they are booking more and staying longer in our country. There is a very important indicator, the OTA saturation rate , which measures accommodation bookings on the largest online platforms in the world: Italy's is nearly 62% , a figure that has increased by 14% compared to last year." This is what Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi said, commenting on the tourism data for the three summer months in Italy released by the Ministry of Tourism.

And the report highlights a result that should also be framed for the Island : «At a regional level - continues the minister - in the 2026 summer season, employment rates higher than the national average were found in the Autonomous Province of Trento (67.3%) and in Sardinia (67.2%) », which recorded the best performances ahead of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (66.3%), Sicily (65.6%), Veneto (65.6%), Marche (63%), Tuscany (62.5%), Liguria (62.5%), Puglia (62.2%), Emilia-Romagna (62.1%).

Not only that: the island is also among the regions with the best numbers compared to 2025. "Year over year," the MiTur note continues, "the most significant increases in saturation are recorded in Lazio (+16.3%), Emilia-Romagna (+15.2%), Tuscany (+15.2%), and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+14.2%). Particularly positive results also emerge in Lombardy (+13.9%), Sardinia (+13%) , the Autonomous Province of Trento (+12.7%), Campania (+12.5%), and Liguria (+12.4%)."

The minister also highlights how Italy has overall surpassed the "challenge" of other European tourism-oriented countries: "Italy has an OTA saturation rate of 61.8%, up 13.8% on the same season in 2025, higher than that of competitors such as Spain (54.7%) and France (45.6%) . August represents the peak of intensity of the entire season, with a 3% increase in arrivals and a 4.2% increase in overnight stays. Both domestic (+3.5% arrivals; +2.7% overnight stays) and foreign (+2.2%; +4.4%) components are dynamic. Italian tourism performance in September is also very positive : with an overall saturation rate of 56.2%, up 2% on the same month in 2025, Italy still ranks higher than Spain (43.6%) and France (35.5%)."

It is precisely in relation to other countries – Mazzi further emphasizes – that the Italian data "takes on even more significance: we are 17 points above France and 7 above Spain." Finally, "the growth of over 6% recorded in the villages also tells us that the policies implemented to support the territories are producing significant results."

(Unioneonline/lf)

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