The Bank of Italy has released its monthly International Tourism update, showing that Italy’s travel balance of payments registered a surplus of almost €0.7 billion in December 2025—virtually unchanged from the same month a year earlier. Foreign visitors spent €3 billion in Italy during the month, up 6.6 %, while Italians abroad spent €2.4 billion, a 7.3 % rise. The figures, published on 11 March, offer the most up-to-date official snapshot available to mobility and travel managers. For the fourth quarter overall, inbound spending grew 4.1 % and outbound 1.6 % year-on-year, confirming that leisure demand is being matched by a steady recovery in corporate and MICE traffic. EU nationals remained the largest contributor to inbound growth (3.6 %), but travellers from extra-EU markets—including the United States and the Gulf—posted an even faster 4.5 % expansion.
![Bank of Italy reports €0.7 billion December tourism surplus—business travel rebounds]()
Amid this surge in cross-border movement, VisaHQ can streamline the visa process for both business and leisure travelers. Its digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers end-to-end document checks, real-time status updates and courier services, helping companies and individuals avoid consulate bottlenecks and stay compliant with changing entry requirements.
On the outbound side, Italian business travellers have clearly returned to EU destinations (+3.9 %) while trips further afield remain slightly below pre-pandemic norms (-0.2 %). For 2025 as a whole, the tourism surplus climbed to €22.8 billion—equivalent to 1 % of GDP—driven primarily by volume rather than per-capita spend. Notably, vacation travel now accounts for 67 % of inbound receipts, whereas work-related trips still represent a healthy 21 % of Italians’ overseas outlays. Hotels, B&Bs and agriturismi captured 44 % of all overnight stays in both inbound and outbound segments, but the share of short-term rentals (24 %) continues to edge higher, aligning with wider “bleisure” trends. Why it matters: multinationals with Italian operations can expect high demand for accommodation in secondary cities and resort areas, not just the Rome-Milan corridor. With the tourism surplus back to, and in some cases above, 2019 levels, airports and consulates are likely to face capacity strains during the coming Easter and summer peaks. Travel-budget owners should lock in negotiated hotel and car-hire rates early and consider alternative gateways such as Bologna, Bari or Catania to avoid bottlenecks.
Amid this surge in cross-border movement, VisaHQ can streamline the visa process for both business and leisure travelers. Its digital platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers end-to-end document checks, real-time status updates and courier services, helping companies and individuals avoid consulate bottlenecks and stay compliant with changing entry requirements.
On the outbound side, Italian business travellers have clearly returned to EU destinations (+3.9 %) while trips further afield remain slightly below pre-pandemic norms (-0.2 %). For 2025 as a whole, the tourism surplus climbed to €22.8 billion—equivalent to 1 % of GDP—driven primarily by volume rather than per-capita spend. Notably, vacation travel now accounts for 67 % of inbound receipts, whereas work-related trips still represent a healthy 21 % of Italians’ overseas outlays. Hotels, B&Bs and agriturismi captured 44 % of all overnight stays in both inbound and outbound segments, but the share of short-term rentals (24 %) continues to edge higher, aligning with wider “bleisure” trends. Why it matters: multinationals with Italian operations can expect high demand for accommodation in secondary cities and resort areas, not just the Rome-Milan corridor. With the tourism surplus back to, and in some cases above, 2019 levels, airports and consulates are likely to face capacity strains during the coming Easter and summer peaks. Travel-budget owners should lock in negotiated hotel and car-hire rates early and consider alternative gateways such as Bologna, Bari or Catania to avoid bottlenecks.
