Dec, 17 – Italy’s charm resists the crisis. While in 2012 the unfavorable international situation slowed the influx of foreign tourists, with arrivals down by 1.6% (about 543.00 fewer visitors, according to ISTAT data) and a -1, 8% of admissions (equal to € 2.4 million in overnight stays), the Bank of Italy claims that tourism spending has increased: indeed, by +2.9%, equal to €22.556 billion. This estimation coincides with the end-of-the-year monitoring trends conducted by ENIT-Agency, through its international network, looking at the largest tour operators in key European and overseas markets. With regards to Eastern Europe, Russia – according to the ENIT survey – maintains and strengthens its presence in Italy, with a 10% increase in arrivals. Among the four BRIC countries, Russia appears to be the most promising market (the Russians take 1.3 times more trips abroad than the Chinese; 3.4 times more trips than the Indians; and 4.6 more than Brazilians). However, Italy also attracted numerous Brazilians, since – according to the European Travel Commission – for their Christmas traveling and shopping Brazilians choose artistic and Medieval cities. Also in for the Christmas holidays are UAE residents, South Koreans and Australians. Good news also comes from America, where demands for weeklong stays in Rome, Florence and Venice have increased by 83%. U.S. sales range between +5 and +15%, with Canada sporting similar numbers, and Argentina ranging between 5% and 10%.
