The upcoming spring holidays will be more expensive for Italians this year, with costs expected to increase by around 10.5% compared to last year. This rise is due to significant increases in prices and fees in the tourism and transportation sectors, resulting in an additional cost of 780 million euros in 2023. Assoconsumers has calculated these estimates to inform families about the expenses they can expect during the April 25th and May 1st holidays. Despite national data indicating a slight slowdown in the travel market during the spring holidays, overall positive trends have been observed within the tourism industry.
A survey conducted by Assoviaggi-Confesercenti revealed a 2.8% decrease in travel requests for the spring holidays compared to the previous year. While some entrepreneurs expressed positive feelings about the trend, others noted stability or a decline. Excluding the holidays, travel agencies saw an 8.9% increase in business volume during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year. Despite ongoing inflation and geopolitical instability, the desire to travel remains strong, although price increases have played a role in driving overall travel costs up by 18% over the past year.
Last year, approximately 17.1 million Italians took vacations during the spring holidays, generating a total of 7.4 billion euros in revenue. This positive trend is expected to continue in 2024, as millions of citizens plan to spend a few nights away from home between April 25th and May 1st. The main factor impacting the cost of travel during these holidays is the overall rise in prices across the entire tourism sector, affecting vacation packages, hotels, alternative accommodations, domestic and international flights, train tickets, buses, and fuel prices.
Vacation packages have seen an 8.2% increase in prices, while hotels have raised their rates by 6.9% and alternative accommodations such as bed and breakfasts have seen an 8.4% price hike. Air travel within Italy has increased by 19.1% compared to 2023, European flights by 16.5%, and international flights by 7.3%. Train ticket prices have gone up by 8%, while bus and coach fares have increased by 4%. In addition, the rising cost of fuel has impacted those traveling by car, with gasoline prices up by 8.3% since the start of the year.
Various additional services have also experienced price increases, including restaurants (3.8%), amusement parks (4%), museums, and monuments (3.7%). According to Assoutenti President Gabriele Melluso, all aspects of travel and leisure have been affected by rising prices, making the overall cost of holidays even higher for Italian consumers. Despite these challenges, many Italians are expected to continue with their holiday plans during the spring period, albeit at a higher cost compared to previous years.
