Italy’s August holiday travel is set to generate €18.5 billion in spending

August travel in Italy is expected to generate €18.5 billion in spending, with restaurants and lodging accounting for €10 billion of that total, according to new estimates from the Confcooperative research center released as the country heads into the peak Ferragosto holiday period.

The figures point to a busy month for Italy’s tourism economy, but they also show a widening divide between households that can still afford summer travel and those that cannot. Confcooperative said 17 million Italians are expected to travel in August, including 10.6 million adults and 6.4 million children and teenagers. At the same time, 8.9 million Italians are expected to stay home, and for more than half of them the main reason is financial pressure.

The report comes in the middle of a summer marked by intense heat and record temperatures across parts of Italy. That weather, combined with higher fuel costs, is shaping both booking patterns and destination choices. The car remains by far the most common way Italians travel on vacation, with 6 in 10 relying on it for their trips. Confcooperative estimated that higher pump prices will add about €1 billion in extra costs overall compared with last year. It said a full tank now costs about €22 more for diesel and €15 more for gasoline than in 2025.

Those added transport costs are landing on top of already higher vacation bills. Confcooperative said the average family spending for one week in August is about €2,750, up 15% from 2025, for lodging and breakfast alone. For a family of four traveling during the Ferragosto week, spending can reach €6,820, up 5% from a year earlier.

Within Italy, seaside destinations remain the top choice, attracting 62% of travelers. Mountain areas account for 28%, with interest rising 6% from 2025 as travelers look to escape extreme heat. Art cities and agritourism properties together account for the remaining 10%.

That shift toward cooler and more rural destinations is helping support another strong season for agritourism operators. Agriturist, the agritourism association of Confagricoltura, said July confirmed strong demand for countryside vacations, August is shaping up as one of the best months in recent years, and September bookings are already showing encouraging signs.

The group said travelers are increasingly choosing stays that combine relaxation, food, nature and outdoor activities. Across Italy’s hillsides, mountain zones, rural areas near historic villages and countryside close to the coast, experiential tourism continues to gain ground among both domestic and foreign visitors.

According to Agriturist’s surveys, demand this year is especially focused on stays that include cultural or music events in nearby villages, cited by 27% of guests; winery and dairy visits with guided tastings, at 25%; excursions, at 18%; and activities for children as well as sports such as trekking, cycling tourism and horseback riding. For beverage producers, especially wineries and tasting-focused rural businesses, that trend could translate into stronger direct-to-consumer traffic during the late summer season as visitors seek local food and drink experiences as part of their trips.

Agriturist said Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Tuscany and Umbria currently show the strongest agritourism outlooks for the season. They are followed by Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche, Campania, Sicily and Sardinia. In those destinations, foreign guests account for more than 65% of visitors, mainly couples and families with children.

Maurizio Gardini, president of Confcooperative, said tourism continues to play a central role in Italy’s economy but that the latest data also reflect a polarized country. In his view, one part of the population still has spending power while another is being excluded even from taking a vacation.

Augusto Congionti, president of Agriturist, said current bookings confirm the enduring appeal of Italian agritourism properties and reflect years of work to improve hospitality standards. He said guests increasingly value wellness, sustainability and local traditions when choosing where to stay. According to Agriturist, 80% of guests cite those factors among their main reasons for booking.

The association is also watching how new pool safety measures are being implemented at agritourism properties that offer swimming facilities to guests. Congionti said safety remains a top priority but called for compliance timelines that match business operations during one of the busiest periods of the year.

The latest forecasts suggest that even with inflation pressures and expensive fuel weighing on household budgets, Italy’s August holiday economy remains large and active. But they also show how strongly climate conditions and rising costs are reshaping where people go, how they travel and what kinds of tourism experiences are gaining ground across the country.