From: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2014 Access the complete publication at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/tour-2014-en Italy Please cite this chapter as: OECD (2014), Italy, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2014, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/tour-2014-24-en
This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries or those of the European Union. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Italy Tourism in the economy The Tourism Satellite Account for Italy indicates that in 2010, the value added in tourism accounted for EUR 82.8 million, 6% of the total value added in the whole economy. The contribution of tourism to employment including direct, indirect and induced effects was 13.8% of the total in 2011. Italy is one of the most important international tourism destinations, with 76.3 million foreign visitors in 2012, up 7.9% over the four years from 2008. The main source markets are Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria and Slovenia. Italians made 53.3 million trips abroad in 2012, 2% fewer than in 2008. Tourism organisation and governance In 2013, the responsibility for the governance of the tourism sector moved from the Prime Minister s Office to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Figure 1) with a mandate for both safeguarding Italian cultural heritage and the development of the tourism industry. Figure 1. Italy: Organisational chart of tourism bodies Ministry of Culture and Tourism Committee for the Co-ordination of Tourism Policy (with Regions) Supervision on ENIT National Tourism Agency General Directorate for Tourism Supervision on: CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) ACI (Automobile Club Italiano) General and Legal Affairs and Supervision and Assistance to Tourism Demand Promotion, programming and Co-ordination of National Tourism Policies and National Tourism Observatory Regions and implementation of Tourism Projects EU and International Relations and Enterprises and Tourist Associations Relations Note: The structure of the General Directorate for Tourism is under development. Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2014. 217
In the field of tourism, the central government carries out the following tasks: Elaborating and defining national tourism policies, in co-ordination with the regions and autonomous provinces. Adopting measures for the tourism sector, and planning and managing structural funds. Supervising the State Tourism Agency (ENIT), the Automobile Club d Italia (ACI) and Club Alpino Italiano (CAI). Providing assistance and incentives to encourage tourism demand. Promoting investment in Italy and abroad. Delivering certifications and authorisations to foreign professionals. Managing relations with international organisations and participating in the elaboration and adoption of EU legislation. The State Tourism Agency (ENIT Ente Nazionale Italiano per Il Turismo) comes under the supervision of the General Directorate for Tourism of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Regions and other stakeholders are represented on ENIT s executive board. It pursues the objectives of promoting Italy as a destination and promoting its natural and cultural heritage. It also carries out studies and publishes research, professional and promotional materials, and develops marketing and promotional strategies to support the tourism industry, in co-ordination with local authorities and other stakeholders. Italy s Constitution empowers the regions to play an essential role in the field of the tourism through key activities, including: Managing European Structural Funds. Programming and developing tourism activities at regional and local level. Promoting strategic marketing activities. Performing tasks related to regional tourism structures. Performing tasks related to enterprises and tourism professions. Provinces and municipalities also contribute to the improvement of the quality of tourism supply. Their national organisations are the Unione delle Province Italiane (UPI) and the Associazione Nazionale dei Comuni Italiani (ANCI). The most important industry federations and associations at national level are: the Federturismo (part of Confindustria), Confturismo (Confcommercio) and Assoturismo (Confesercenti). Their tasks are to represent tourism industries and professionals, provide information and communication on actions of common interest, undertake training, studies and research programmes, promote the culture of entrepreneurship, and support initiatives in sustainable tourism development. Tourism budgets The 2012 budget for the National Tourism Administration (part of the previous Department for regional affairs, tourism and sport) was EUR 33 million, of which EUR 19 million were earmarked for the operations of ENIT. In addition, regional organisations in tourism have their own budgets. In 2010, the latest year for which data are available, total expenditure on tourism was EUR 1 314 billion. 218
Legislation in 2006 and 2009 allocated funds for implementing flagship projects to develop and promote tourism nationally and to recover its international competitiveness. These were made available to regions and autonomous provinces and totalled EUR 112.7 million. Tourism-related policies and programmes The General Directorate for Tourism leads a project aimed at providing the Convergence Regions (Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily) with tools and methodologies supporting the design and management of development plans in the tourism sector. The budget allocated to this project, co-financed through the Governance and Technical Assistance National Operational Plans (ERDF 2007-13) is EUR 4.4 million. Also related to the Convergence Regions is a programme that is part of the Inter- Regional Programme on Cultural, Natural and Tourism Attractors. The project, which was worth EUR 49.9 million over the period 2007-13 seeks to promote social and economic development through the valorisation of the cultural, natural and landscape heritage. A memorandum of understanding between the previous Department of Tourism and the regions and autonomous provinces was signed in June 2010 to implement provisions relating to 43 regional and inter-regional projects prepared by local authorities. Each project is subject to the signature of a project-specific agreement, in which the contribution of the state may not exceed 90% of the project cost, the balance coming from the regional administrations and/or other participating bodies. Most of these projects are being completed. In 2012, the former Minister for Tourism issued a National Strategic Plan for Tourism to be implemented by 2020. The plan identifies 61 actions to be carried out to develop and strengthen the Italian tourism industry. Under the present government, the plan is being updated with priority actions and programmes developed for immediate start. In May 2011, the Council of Ministers approved a decree issuing the Code on Tourism (Codice della normativa statale in tema di ordinamento e mercato del turismo), which came into force in June 2011. This aims to regularise tourism to meet the obligations of the sector under international and European Union law. Thecoderevisestheorganisationofthetourismsectortoensuremodernmarket regulation in line with European legislation, to promote the latest computer technology, to meet security needs and issues of environmental protection, to protect the rights and interests of consumers and professionals, and to provide incentives and support for small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector. Several initiatives are under way in the framework of social policies and economic recovery plans, financed with national and EU funds. The previous Department of Tourism and the Regions have co-financed several multi-annual projects in the regions, such as a programme of hospitality in villages in Campania, Basilicata and Puglia, a programme of Mediterranean food and wine in Calabria, Sicily and Puglia, and a programme of tourism in the countryside in Lombardy, Sicily and other regions. Elsewhere across Italy, regional projects seek to improve the performance of tourism enterprises, promote cultural tourism, improve infrastructure, minimise waste, create new tourist and cultural routes and enhance the natural and cultural heritage. 219
Italy has hosted the Permanent Secretariat of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics with the Department of Tourism since 2008. The committee is aimed at promoting and disseminating the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics in Tourism. The committee has pursued the distribution of the code at major international and national tourism events, has organised an international conference on ethics in tourism, and has drafted model protocols implementing the code s principles. In February 2013, Italy and UNWTO signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at implementing the activities of the secretariat, whose name has been changed to the Centre for the Promotion of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. In 2011, a law was enacted authorising the regions to create tourism districts, bringing together public and private enterprises in seaside municipalities with the aim of increasing the tourism value of their territories. In 2013, the first such tourism district was created in Rome and its neighbouring seaside municipalities. Statistical profile Table 1. Italy: Domestic tourism Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total domestic trips.......... Overnight visitors (tourists) Thousand 103 149 94 353 81 760 68 164.. Same-day visitors (excursionists).......... Trips by main purpose of visit Business and professional.......... Holiday, leisure and recreation.......... Nights in all means of accommodation Thousand 550 010 530 830 493 681 411 510.. Hotels and similar establishments.......... Other collective establishments.......... Domestic travel receipts.......... Source: Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932987708 Table 2. Italy: Inbound tourism Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total international arrivals Thousand 70 719 71 692 73 225 75 866 76 293 Overnight visitors (tourists).......... Same-day visitors (excursionists).......... Top markets Switzerland Thousand 12 008 12 234 13 297 13 565 13 145 Germany Thousand 11 517 11 422 10 857 11 682 11 679 France Thousand 10 107 10 168 9 976 10 165 10 246 Austria Thousand 6 573 7 318 7 660 6 503 6 930 Slovenia Thousand 3 900 4 226 4 117 4 394 4 071 Nights in all means of accommodation.......... Hotels and similar establishments.......... Other collective establishments.......... Total international receipts.......... International travel receipts Million EUR 31 090 28 856 29 257 30 891 32 056 International passenger transport receipts.......... Source: Bank of Italy. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932987727 220
Table 3. Italy: Outbound tourism Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total international departures.......... Overnight visitors (tourists) Thousand 54 421 54 839 55 304 52 618 53 339 Same-day visitors (excursionists).......... Total international expenditure.......... International travel expenditure Million EUR 20 848 20 015 20 416 20 583 20 512 International passenger transport expenditure.......... Source: Bank of Italy. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932987746 Table 4. Italy: Enterprises in tourism Number of establishments 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total tourism enterprises 1 291 197 290 973 294 115.... Tourism industries.......... Accommodation services for visitors.......... Hotels and similar establishments.......... Food and beverage serving industry.......... Passenger transport.......... Air passenger transport.......... Railways passenger transport.......... Road passenger transport.......... Water passenger transport.......... Passenger transport supporting services.......... Transport equipment rental.......... Travel agencies and other reservation services industry.......... Cultural industry.......... Sports and recreation industry.......... Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods.......... Other country-specific tourism industries.......... Other industries.......... 1. Hotels and restaurants. Source: Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932987765 Table 5. Italy: Key economic indicators Percentage 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Tourism GDP (direct) as % of total GDP 1 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.7 Total tourism employment (direct) as % of total employment 1 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.6 1. Hotels and restaurants. Source: Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), International Center of Studies on the Tourist Economy (CISET). 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932987803 For more information Ministry of Culture and Tourism Italy National Tourist Office National Institute of Statistics www.beniculturali.it www.enit.it www.istat.it 221