Flexible, sustainable, and safe. For its characteristics, the outdoor tourism sector in recent years has been able to conquer Italian people. This is also due to its ability to evolve, intercepting the needs and requests of the new reference targets. If on the one hand the pandemic has brought people closer to a more aware and proximity concept of tourism, on the other hand the segment has been able to transform itself to offer quality services and every type of comfort. So that 2 Italians out of 3 say that since the beginning of the pandemic their propensity to spend their holidays outdoor has grown.
This is the starting point for the new edition of the Study on Outdoor Tourism, commissioned to Istituto Piepoli by ENIT-Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo and Human Company, the most important company with Italian capital in the open-air segment. A trend that is also confirmed for the 2022 summer season, which seems to have all the credentials to be in line with that of 2019, if not even higher. Carried out in June with a quantitative method on a representative sample of the Italian population, the research investigated the propensity of Italians for summer holidays, the forecasts of outdoor stays for summer 2022, and the determining factors for the choice of holidays.
The forecast data for summer 2022
According to the survey estimates for the summer of 2022, more than a half of the Italian population (52%) has planned a vacation. One out of five plans to stay in an outdoor structure, with a preference for villages and farmhouses. Among those thinking of going on vacation, the open-air tourist is not only the most loyal (82% say they are ready to leave), but also the most oriented towards extending their stay: for 24% of outdoor tourists the holiday will be longer, while it will remain unchanged for the others.
Italy is again confirmed this year as the favorite destination for outdoor tourists, with 88% of preferences (+3% compared to 2021). On the highest step of the podium of the regions chosen by the outdoor tourist there is Puglia (18%), followed by Tuscany (11%), and Sardinia (10%). Excellent performances also in Lazio, Calabria, and Sicily (all at 8%). As for the destinations and the period, 58% of those planning an outdoor holiday will choose the sea, 17% the mountains, and 14% cities and places of art, mainly in the months of July (42%) and August (46%) but with an appreciable share in September too (11%).
The influencing factors
It is not surprising that economic difficulties (38%) are the main reason for the renunciation of holidays, while Covid-19 remains marginal (only 5% of the interviewees declared that they would not leave for fear of contagion). Expensive fuel and inflation are the main factors for the choice of holidays for 7 Italians out of 10, followed by the presence of flexible rates that protect against economic losses (61%) and a good number of last-minute offers (53%).
According to the survey, about a quarter of Italian vacationers expect to book under date. Among the booking channels, the direct method prevails, with 53% declaring that they have booked or want to do so by contacting the property directly. Only 25% indicated online agencies (OLTAs) and 13% indicated travel agencies or traditional tour operators.
“The new perspectives offered by the outdoors allow you to experience unexpected spaces fully and in a new way,” said Roberta Garibaldi, ENIT CEO. “The historical context has educated us to live the travel experience in revisited ways, also responding to the need to strengthen the sense of respect for the natural environment and allowing us to enhance the use of the travel experience. Outdoor tourism lays the foundations to consolidate itself more and more in the current tourist scenarios. 2022 is an ideal year to intercept again the flows from overseas, which represent one of the main areas of origin of adventure travelers, and one of the most active due to the presence of tour operators specialized in this market“.
According to Domenico Montano, General Manager of Human Company, “the survey confirms the Group’s forecasts, for which a positive season is announced with performances higher than the pre-Covid data“. To date, the company estimates 40% more presences than in 2021 and a 15% growth on the 2019 season for all villages. “The sea is confirmed as the preferred destination especially by fellow countrymen,” Montano continued, “but we also record the resumption of tourism in the cities of art, where we are present with our camping in town, no longer lived as simple places to stay overnight, but as facilitators to visit the area even out of season. Our Central Markets in Florence, Rome, Turin, and Milan also testify to the positive trend of Italian cities”.
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