Banca d'Italia has been conducting since 1996 a survey on international tourism primarily to collect information for compiling the 'Travel' item (which includes goods and services acquired from an economy by non-residents during visits to that economy) and the 'Passenger transport services' item in Italy's balance of payments, in line with the methodological conventions laid out in the sixth edition of the IMF's manual (BPM6). The survey is based on interviews and counts of resident and non-resident travellers at the Italian borders (road and rail crossings, international ports and airports); it is integrated with administrative data and, since end-2020, with mobile phone data, where available.
The survey also serves as a useful database for operators in the tourism sector and researchers, thanks to the wide range of analytical data provided alongside those gathered strictly for balance of payment requirements. The data are available on this website both in aggregate form and as microdata.
Monthly brief on international tourism
Last February, Italy's tourism balance of payments recorded a surplus of €0.7 billion, an increase compared with the same month of 2025. Inbound tourism expenditure (€3.0 billion) grew by 14.7 per cent, while outbound tourism expenditures (€2.3 billion) rose by 1.6 per cent.
Also for the three-month period ending in February 2026, the increase in tourism receipts (7.9 per cent) was larger than that in expenditure (2.9 per cent) compared with the quarter ending in February 2025 (Fig. 1). The increase in spending by foreign travellers was higher for travellers from EU countries than for those from non‑EU countries (9.5 per cent versus 6.4; Fig. 2, left panel). Similarly, Italians' spending abroad increased more in EU countries than in non‑EU destinations (4.4 versus 1.9 per cent; Fig. 2, right panel).
According to survey data, around 250,000 foreign travellers visited Italy to attend the Winter Olympic Games; an additional 50,000 would have arrived even in the absence of the event but nevertheless attended some competitions. Lombardy recorded the largest inflow, followed by Veneto and Trentino. Spending by foreign travellers who would not have come to Italy in the absence of the Olympics is estimated at nearly €400 million, accounting for about 13 per cent of total receipts in February 2026; this amount is broadly comparable to the increase in spending recorded compared with the same month of 2025.
Fig. 1 - Italy's inbound and outbound tourism expenditure
(3-month moving averages; year-on-year percentage changes)
Fig. 2 - Italy's inbound and outbound tourism expenditure by geographical area
(3-month moving averages; year-on-year percentage changes)
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