Tourism after COVID-19 in Italy and industry trends for 2021
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 6:50 am
How has tourism changed after COVID-19 in Italy ? What are the trends in the sector for 2021 and what are the future prospects?
It is clear to everyone that tourism is one of the sectors that has been most affected by the pandemic crisis and the numbers seem to confirm it: the number of travel experiences made by Italians in 2020 on average decreased by 27% compared to 2019, while flights decreased by 66%, according to the International Air Transport Association. Spending power has also seen a significant decline : one in three people in 2020 allocated a lower budget to holidays than in 2019.
The pandemic has also had a strong impact on the choice of travel destinations , favoring the local dimension. This is a trend that had already emerged in previous years and that seems to continue this year. Also for the 2021 holidays, so-called proximity tourism seems to be the choice of many Italians, who will prefer the exploration of very short-range destinations, sometimes even just a few kilometers from their own city, possibly limited to a single place, rather than a structured itinerary with different destinations.
Meanwhile, with the arrival of mild weather, the desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors grows. According to the article “Beauty, citizenship, finance, luxury and travel: the trends of 2021” on BeUnsocial, the most popular activities of spring 2021 are:
walks to rediscover your city
food and wine tours
educational activities related to the art and history of the place
nature excursions
More generally, thanks also to the list of anguilla consumer email possibility of slowing down the frenetic pace of life and having more time to dedicate to oneself, the tendency to practice outdoor activities seems destined to last and to become an increasingly consolidated habit.
Food and wine tourism in Italy withstands the impact of the pandemic crisis
Despite the tourism sector being at a loss in 2020, food and wine tourism in Italy has managed to resist the impact of the pandemic crisis , maintaining the positive growth trend that has been recorded for some years now.

According to the “Report on Italian food and wine tourism 2021” edited by Roberta Garibaldi, 55% of people who have taken at least one holiday with an overnight stay in the last two years declared that they did so for food and wine tourism, compared to 45% in 2019. In 2016, only 21% had taken at least one trip of this type.
The culture of holidays dedicated to local products and in general to the excellence of Made in Italy is therefore growing , which seem to be able to be the driving force of the tourism sector.
In addition to this renewed attention for typical products, there is also a growing trend in the wellbeing trend : the majority of food and wine tourists are interested in participating in courses and workshops on psychophysical wellbeing offered by manufacturing companies and prefer those travel experiences during which it is possible to practice outdoor sports. Among the most requested activities we find:
It is clear to everyone that tourism is one of the sectors that has been most affected by the pandemic crisis and the numbers seem to confirm it: the number of travel experiences made by Italians in 2020 on average decreased by 27% compared to 2019, while flights decreased by 66%, according to the International Air Transport Association. Spending power has also seen a significant decline : one in three people in 2020 allocated a lower budget to holidays than in 2019.
The pandemic has also had a strong impact on the choice of travel destinations , favoring the local dimension. This is a trend that had already emerged in previous years and that seems to continue this year. Also for the 2021 holidays, so-called proximity tourism seems to be the choice of many Italians, who will prefer the exploration of very short-range destinations, sometimes even just a few kilometers from their own city, possibly limited to a single place, rather than a structured itinerary with different destinations.
Meanwhile, with the arrival of mild weather, the desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors grows. According to the article “Beauty, citizenship, finance, luxury and travel: the trends of 2021” on BeUnsocial, the most popular activities of spring 2021 are:
walks to rediscover your city
food and wine tours
educational activities related to the art and history of the place
nature excursions
More generally, thanks also to the list of anguilla consumer email possibility of slowing down the frenetic pace of life and having more time to dedicate to oneself, the tendency to practice outdoor activities seems destined to last and to become an increasingly consolidated habit.
Food and wine tourism in Italy withstands the impact of the pandemic crisis
Despite the tourism sector being at a loss in 2020, food and wine tourism in Italy has managed to resist the impact of the pandemic crisis , maintaining the positive growth trend that has been recorded for some years now.

According to the “Report on Italian food and wine tourism 2021” edited by Roberta Garibaldi, 55% of people who have taken at least one holiday with an overnight stay in the last two years declared that they did so for food and wine tourism, compared to 45% in 2019. In 2016, only 21% had taken at least one trip of this type.
The culture of holidays dedicated to local products and in general to the excellence of Made in Italy is therefore growing , which seem to be able to be the driving force of the tourism sector.
In addition to this renewed attention for typical products, there is also a growing trend in the wellbeing trend : the majority of food and wine tourists are interested in participating in courses and workshops on psychophysical wellbeing offered by manufacturing companies and prefer those travel experiences during which it is possible to practice outdoor sports. Among the most requested activities we find: