Italy has outperformed and recovered to pre-pandemic levels with three regions Tuscany, Veneto and the Province of Bolzano ranking in the top 10 of the 96 regions of the EU4 area of Italy, Spain, France, and Germany in the regional tourism competitiveness index developed by SRM, the Intesa Sanpaolo Research Centre, with the parameters of supply and flows. Six regions, including Sardinia, Campania, and Puglia, surpass the European average.  

According to a press statement by SRM, at an average-country level, Italy is first among the four destinations with the highest score in terms of competitiveness at 122.2, which is certainly a good omen for the future challenges that await the European macro-region with the rise of emerging destinations in the Far East and the Americas. 

The statement adds that these are significant numbers, just as the context outlined by the study is emblematic, in which the needs of tourists and those of residents are evolving towards new experiences, where sustainability and responsibility take precedence, destined to become a renewed tourist offer.  

The report says that these figures follow an evolution in the value of incoming tourism, which is increasingly measured by the quality of services, taking into account the socio-economic impact on the territories and considering the priorities of digitalisation and applied technology, for which require huge investments. 

The SRM study highlights that, in the last three years, 25 pc of companies in Italy have made investments in sustainability and technology; an even greater effort in the south, with 40 pc of companies engaged in these challenges.