According to data from Istat (INE Portuguese), tourist flows in the second quarter of 2026 showed a slight drop in the number of tourists, while registering a significant increase in overnight stays.
In the second quarter of 2026, Italian accommodation registered just under 47 million tourists — a drop of 0.8% compared to the same quarter of 2025 — and almost 148 million overnight stays, marking an increase of 3.9% compared to 2025.
Foreign tourists:
Foreign visitors accounted for 61.6% of total overnight stays, representing the largest share of tourist flows. Compared to 2025, overnight stays by foreign tourists in the second quarter increased by 4.6%, while growth among Italian guests was more modest (+2.7%).
The most significant variations in overnight stays compared to 2025 were recorded in May: +6.4% for Italian tourists and +10.1% for foreign tourists (+8.8% overall).
Local accommodation rivals traditional hotels:
The traditional hotel sector registered 27.6 million tourists and 77.6 million overnight stays. The sector corresponding to local accommodation contributed with more than 19.3 million tourists and approximately 70.3 million overnight stays. Local accommodation recorded the highest increase (+5.6%), while the traditional hotel sector recorded a more modest growth (+2.4%). In local accommodation, the number of overnight stays increased for both Italian guests (+4.2%) and foreigners (+6.4%), with the latter showing a slightly stronger growth trend. In hotels, the slight increase in stays by Italian guests (+1.7%) contrasts with a sharper growth among foreign guests (+2.9%). In the second quarter, the average length of stay in the hotel industry was 3.15 nights — a slight increase over the previous year — with foreign guests staying longer (3.34 nights) than Italian guests (2.88 nights).
