“This summer recorded astonishing numbers. In the months of June, July, and August, Italy reached 276 million presences, 5.5 million more than last year.” Thus, the Minister of Tourism, Gianmarco Mazzi, announces a summer of new records for Italian tourism. “Both the number of Italian tourists and foreigners is growing: they book more and stay longer in our country. There is a very important indicator, the OTA saturation rate, which measures accommodation bookings on the largest online platforms worldwide: Italy is close to 62%, a figure that has increased by 14% compared to last year. But it gains further value in relation to other countries: we are 17 points above France and 7 above Spain, considered one of the most touristic nations. The growth of over 6% recorded in the villages tells us that the policies implemented to support the territories are yielding important results,” he states.
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With over 276 million presences and more than 72.4 million arrivals, in the June-August 2026 quarter, Italy records a 2% growth compared to the same period in 2025. Both the domestic sector (+2.1% arrivals; +1.6% presences) and the foreign market (+1.9%; +2.3%) are growing. The Belpaese also records an OTA saturation rate of 61.8%, an increase of 13.8% over the same season in 2025, higher than competitors such as Spain (54.7%) and France (45.6%).
August represents the peak of the entire season, with a +3% in arrivals and +4.2% in presences. Both the internal component (+3.5% arrivals; +2.7% presences) and the foreign one (+2.2%; +4.4%) are dynamic. Also in September, the trend of Italian tourism is very positive: with an overall saturation of 56.2%, up 2% compared to the same month in 2025, Italy still ranks above Spain (43.6%) and France (35.5%).
At the regional level, in the summer season 2026, occupancy rates above the national average are found in the autonomous province of Trento (67.3%), Sardinia (67.2%), 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%). Year on year, 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%), Autonomous Province of Trento (+12.7%), Campania (+12.5%) and Liguria (+12.4%).
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Small municipalities continue to grow even in July, with a +6.6% in arrivals and +4.2% in presences, bringing the total for the first seven months of 2026 to +5.6% arrivals and +4.4% presences compared to the same period last year. The increase in arrivals affects almost all regions, with particularly strong variations in Lazio (+10.9%), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+9.9%), Abruzzo (+9.6%) and Piedmont (+9.0%). Molise (+8.6%), Puglia (+7.7%) and Calabria (+7.3%) also show significant growth.
On the presence front, the most significant increases are observed in Abruzzo (+10.9%), Piedmont (+9.8%), Marche (+9.4%), and Puglia (+8.1%). Good results also emerge for Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+7.6%) and Lazio (+7.3%).
