Globally, 2023 for tourism closed with 1.29 billion international arrivals, with strong growth over 2022, when there were 960 million. And Europe confirmed itself as the first destination with about 700 million arrivals, more than half (54%) of the total. The tourist spending figure is also remarkable: 1,700 billion dollars, in line with pre-pandemic values. With regard to Italy, 2023 closed with 133.6 million arrivals (+12.8% on 2022) and 447.1 million presences (+8.5%). These are some of the data presented by the observatory of BIT, the International Tourism Exchange of Fiera Milano, whose next edition will be held in February 2025. As for 2024, even though the sector faces challenges such as overtourism and rising costs, the overall picture remains positive. In the first three months of the year, a further growth in international arrivals is estimated at 285 million (+19% on 2023) while, according to the May 2024 surveys of the European Travel Commission, 75% of Europeans intend to make at least one trip this summer, +3% compared to last year. Italy is confirmed as the most attractive destination (8.4% of travel intentions) followed by Spain (8.1%), France (7.1%) and Greece (6.3%), and about half of the travelers will be repeaters.
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