Ana M. López
Research expert covering travel, tourism and hospitality
Business travel in Italy - statistics & facts
Italy is a top world tourism destination. Including overnight and same-day travelers, the European nation received almost 75 million international visitors in 2022. In comparison to the COVID-19 years, the international tourism volume in Italy almost doubled that year. However, pre-pandemic values were still around 29 percent higher.
Europe is considerably the most common hosting region of international meetings and conventions worldwide, having accounted for more than half of the events held for two decades. According to a 2021 index, the top European destinations for such meetings are usually the capital cities. But in the case of Italy, Milan outranked Rome.
Italian business travelers
Just as the inbound tourism, the outbound tourism from Italy also experienced a notable growth in 2022. Regarding business travel, the number of business travelers from Italy grew to approximately 19 million, after having dropped to less than 10 million in 2020 and 2021. Consequently, similar changes occurred in the country's outbound business travel spending. In 2022, Italians who traveled for work purposes to other countries spent 7.8 billion euros in total, 144 percent and 49 percent more than in the previous two years. In relation to the total outbound tourism expenditure in Italy, nonetheless, business travel increased its share during the pandemic.Business travel in Europe
In the latest Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) by the World Economic Forum, Italy was rated as the eighth-best country for non-leisure travel in Europe. Western Europe dominated the top spots, with the best classifications going to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Overall, this region had a strong presence in the business travel industry.Europe is considerably the most common hosting region of international meetings and conventions worldwide, having accounted for more than half of the events held for two decades. According to a 2021 index, the top European destinations for such meetings are usually the capital cities. But in the case of Italy, Milan outranked Rome.
