Dhabi - As part of the Abu Dhabi leg of the “Vespucci World Tour and Italy Village,” the event “The Wonders of Italian Tourism and the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics,” promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and organized by ENIT, represents a unique opportunity to further strengthen ties with Gulf countries and showcase Italian tourism excellence to a highly strategic market for Italy. The data on tourism flows confirms this trend.

In 2023, there was an increase of over +44% in travelers from Abu Dhabi and +32% from Dubai, while Saudi Arabia recorded a 95% rise in visitors, with overnight stays increasing by over 32% and, most notably, spending up by 74%. Moreover, tourists from Saudi Arabia have not only increased their overnight stays (+32.5%) but also their spending (+74.6%).

"The highly positive trend in tourism from Gulf countries," stated Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè, "is an encouraging sign for our sector. We are working to attract even more Arab visitors—who, notably, represent high-spending tourism—by offering increasingly innovative options. Thanks to a new industrial vision, which the Ministry has finally adopted, and the valuable work of sector operators, we will consolidate this success, making Italy ever more attractive to this market."

"ENIT," explained CEO Ivana Jelenic, "aims to actively support Italian businesses in fully seizing these opportunities through targeted promotional actions and by fostering the creation of strategic partnerships, so the Italian tourism sector can fully benefit from this extraordinary growth opportunity."