Italy expects record 20mn visitors in December

Nearly 20 million foreigners visited Italy in December, the last remaining stretch of the Jubilee Year.

According to recently released data from the Ministry of Tourism - which described the result as a ‘record’ - the 2025 figure surpassed last year’s total of 19.7 million overnight stays as well as 2024’s 18.9 million.

The data show that mountains remain the top choice for Christmas holidays in Italy, attracting more than half of travelers, while the surge in popularity of the southern regions is equally remarkable.

The South, in fact, leads the way in percentage changes compared to last December, with significant increases in Calabria (+ 9,4%), Molise (+ 7,7%), Basilicata (+7%), Puglia (+ 6,7%), and Campania (+ 5,9%).

Confcommercio reports that over six million Italians will travel during Christmas: 83 percent will stay within the country, opting mainly for easily accessible destinations, while around one million will head to European capitals or destinations outside Europe. 60 percent of the time will be spent staying at most one or two nights. Twenty-nine percent will stay in hotels, while 40 percent will opt for friends' and relatives' homes or second homes.

Among the favorite destinations, mountains remain the top choice, with 20% of preferences, followed by seaside resorts (19%) and cities of art (15%).

According to Confcommercio estimates, average holiday spending will remain around 390 euros. The Christmas data, however, confirm the good performance of the sector, with growing numbers that consolidate the trend of the current year and which suggest a total of over 406 million presences, an increase of +3% over 2024.

In comparison with competitors, in the period January-September 2025, Italy is in line with Spain (415.6 million) and surpasses France (401.3 million), Germany (346.0 million), and Greece (140.4 million).

Earlier, it was reported that Kyrgyzstan was named among world’s Top 50 holiday destinations.