Giovanni Finocchiaro, Silvia Iaccarino
The indicator monitors the impact of tourism on the territory in terms of both volume (arrivals) and the burden placed on the area (overnight stays). It highlights how some regions and autonomous provinces experience high "arrivals per inhabitant" and "overnight stays per inhabitant" ratios, such as Valle d'Aosta (10.9 and 30.0) and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (15.7 and 67.2), compared to the national average of 2.3 and 7.6, respectively. In 2023, all values increased and surpassed those recorded in 2019.
In defining tourism intensity, parameters have been considered that help monitor the load tourism places on a territory, particularly the factors responsible for pressure and environmental impacts, which translate into the exploitation of natural resources, waste production, pollution, and more.
The "number of arrivals per resident population" represents the tourism burden on the region, while the "number of overnight stays per resident population" reflects the strain on the territory and its infrastructure. The distribution of "arrivals" and "overnight stays" across the territory and by month highlights particularly "hot spots" and the seasonality of tourist flows.
The "average length of stay," calculated as the ratio between the number of nights spent (overnight stays) and the number of guests arriving at an accommodation facility (arrivals), indicates the pressures on the environment associated with tourism accommodations, such as water consumption, waste disposal, and intensive use of natural resources.
To determine the tourism load on the territory.
There are no specific objectives for this indicator. The regulatory references supporting it are Directive 95/97/EC of 23/11/95 and Law 135/01.
ISTAT
The lack of reference values to clearly determine if the territory's carrying capacity has been exceeded is a limitation of the indicator.
Measurement of natural resource usage.
ISTAT
http://dati.istat.it/ (SERVIZI/TURISMO) http://demo.istat.it/
National, Regional
1991-2023
The average length of stay is calculated as the ratio between the total nights spent and the number of guests arriving at accommodation facilities.
Other variables of interest are presented through ratios, percentage calculations, and indexed variations.
In 2023, tourism intensity, measured by the arrival-to-inhabitant ratio (2.3) and overnight stay-to-inhabitant ratio (7.6), increased compared to 2022 (Table 1).
Some regions and autonomous provinces recorded significantly higher values than the national average: Trentino-Alto Adige: arrival-to-inhabitant ratio of 12.3, overnight stay-to-inhabitant ratio of 51.0. Within the province of Bolzano, these values rose to 15.7 and 67.2, respectively. Valle d’Aosta: arrival-to-inhabitant ratio of 10.9, overnight stay-to-inhabitant ratio of 30.0 (Table 2).
In Italy, between 2000 and 2023, arrivals increased by 67% and overnight stays by 32%, while the resident population grew by only 2%.
The lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 caused a collapse in tourism, with arrivals and overnight stays halving.
In 2023, the recovery continued, with values slightly exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
The seasonality of tourism flows remained unchanged, with 46.5% of overnight stays occurring in the third quarter.
During the years of travel restrictions, over 60% of overnight stays were concentrated in the summer months.
In the last quarter of 2023, the distribution of tourist flows reached a level even higher than in 2019, increasing from 13.8% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2023 (Table 3).
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Table 1: Tourism intensity in Italy: arrivals, overnight stays, average length of stay in all types of accommodation establishments Data source
ISPRA processing based on ISTAT data |
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Table 2: Tourism intensity by region: arrivals, overnight stays, average length of stay in all types of accommodation establishments (2023) Data source
ISPRA processing based on ISTAT data Data legend
a Provisional data |
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Table 3: Overnight stays in accommodation establishments by quarter and share of the total Data source
ISPRA processing based on ISTAT data |
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Figure 1: Variation in tourism intensity in terms of arrivals, overnight stays, and resident population Data source
ISPRA processing based on ISTAT data |
The totals presented in the tables may contain minor discrepancies due to rounding.
In 2023, tourist flows returned to pre-COVID levels.
These figures bring back discussions on carrying capacity, which refers to the maximum number of tourists a region can accommodate without causing environmental damage or depleting its unique characteristics.
Tourism flows represent a temporary expansion of the population, which raises concerns about exceeding the capacity of local systems designed to support only residents.
This can lead to issues such as declining quality of life, traffic congestion, safety concerns, transportation challenges, wastewater treatment limitations, and waste disposal problems.
In 2020, the impact of these issues was mitigated by the effects of the pandemic.
At the regional level, in 2023, tourist flows (arrivals and overnight stays) returned to normal intensity (Table 2).
The average length of stay decreased further in 2023, reaching 3.3 nights, compared to higher values in 2020 and 2021.
This suggests that during the pandemic, tourists were more inclined to stay longer in one place (Table 1).
This trend is consistent across almost all regions, which can be interpreted as a renewed interest in travel, but with shorter, more frequent stays.
Seasonality remains an important factor, as high concentrations of tourists during certain times of the year can affect sustainability, placing pressure on local communities and natural resources.
Most European countries experience strong seasonal trends, with winter tourism concentrated in mountain areas and summer tourism primarily focused on coastal regions.
In 2023, Italy recorded an 8.5% increase in overnight stays compared to the previous year.
Despite this growth, tourism seasonality remained concentrated in the third quarter (46.5%), though with a slight decline compared to previous years (Table 3).