TTG MONITOR, EXPERIENCE ECONOMY DRIVES SUMMER TOURISM BEACHES, THERMAL RESORTS AND ART CITIES REMAIN THE CROWD PULLERS

(MENAFN- Italian exhibition Group (IEGEXPO)) •Latest figures from TTG Travel Experience Observatory show that 49% of Italians want to indulge in experiences strictly linked to travel, while 32% are looking for a food and wine experience
•Roots tourism is driving Italy’s incoming market: 87% of visitors of Italian origin recommend Italy abroad as a destination
•IEG's 61st TTG Travel Experience is inspired by the theme of "Veritas", indulging tourists' desires for an authentic journey

Rimini 13 May 2024 – Beaches, thermal resorts and art cities: Italians and foreigners have made up their minds; these are the top holiday destinations for 2024. Lakes and mountains, on the other hand, are much more appreciated by a large number of foreigners. The demand for exclusive and private experiences is also on the up, for instance visiting natural environments (parks and gardens) outside opening hours, or the opportunity to access museums by night, a growing request from 34% of foreigners.
This would appear to be the new travel-lover trend for summer 2024 according to TTG Monitor, the Tourism Observatory of TTG Travel Experience, the Italian reference event for the promotion of global tourism by Italian Exhibition Group, running from 9 to 11 October at Rimini Expo Centre. “In an ever more hyper-connected and digital world - reminds Gloria Armiri, head of the trade fair - what attracts tourists is an engaging travel format based on interacting with the identity of a place: in other words, the search for authenticity, or Veritas, the underlying narrative of the 61st edition of our TTG".
The TTG Monitor Observatory also addresses tourists' regard for social sustainability linked to travel: 40% of Italians and 47% of foreigners are all for proposals and experiences that support the work of local communities as well as crafts and agri-food production.
This scenario includes discovering destinations less frequented by mass tourism, a type of travel that is also an antidote to overtourism, a phenomenon that concerns 63% of foreigners, who increasingly seek out contact with nature and stays in primordial and wild environments such as glamping sites carved into rocks. Naturally, the direction of spending reflects these changes: in 2024, 88% of Europeans will, in fact, choose to purchase experiences instead of material goods. On the hospitality front, more and more foreigners are choosing hotels based also on the presence of seasonal fruit and vegetables on the menus and the attention to reducing food waste.

The outlook for Summer 2024 therefore is pretty rosy. 62% of hotels - according to Area38 data for Italy Family Hotels - estimate reaching an average occupancy of over 90% with an annual turnover increase of 5% compared to 2023, and 10% if compared to 2019, the year before Covid.
Holidays are becoming more of a priority, with 30% of families planning to travel more than last year and with 40% planning to make three or more trips.
So, where are they heading? Beach destinations trump the lakes and the mountains. And at the end of the season, the places expected to generate greater wealth directly linked to tourism are the iconic spots such as: Rimini, Cavallino-Treporti, San Michele al Tagliamento, Jesolo, Caorle, Lignano, Lazise, Cesenatico, Riccione, Cervia and Sorrento (Sociometric estimates based on Istat 2023 data from Il Sole 24 Ore).

As much of the industry research also confirms, this year one in two Italians want to make travel-related experiences, with events, sports competitions and visits to exhibitions taking the lead (source: Mastercard).

Coincidentally, attention to wellness is proliferating, with the following activities popular at tourist destination: physical recreation (sports +4.7%), soft hiking (excursions and walks +5.1%) and water sports, in addition to classic spa and food experiences (source: Mabrian). Excellent performance from incoming roots tourism: 87% of visitors of Italian origin abroad recommend a trip to the Bel Paese. Roots tourists have proved to be true ambassadors of Italian destinations and of Made in Italy. When returning, they bring food and wine products, handicrafts, fashion products and books. They don't just visit their place of origin (they dedicate 55% of their time to visiting other Italian places) and spend on average 3,100 euros per person for a 2-week stay (source: Confcommercio with SWG, Traa Consulting and Italyrooting Consulting).

ABOUT TTG TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Event: international show; organizer: Italian Exhibition Group SpA; recurrence: annual; edition: 61st; open to: reserved exclusively for professional operators; website: - #ttgexpo

IEG PRESS CONTACTS, TTG TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Elisabetta Vitali, head of corporate communication & media relations; Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini, press office manager
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