Observatory

Outdoor Tourism Observatory Report

Human Company and THRENDS, a company specialising in analysis and strategies in the tourism & hospitality sector, is proud to present the 2025 edition of the Outdoor Tourism Observatory, now in its fifth edition. The Observatory has established itself as an increasingly important point of reference for understanding the dynamics of the sector, offering insights into trends and strategies to understanding the evolution of outdoor tourism in Italy. The 2025 season promises to be a period of consolidation for outdoor tourism in Italy, with a predicted 67.7 million visitors, in line with the tourist trends over the last year. In the summer (from June to September), visitors are expected to total approximately 55.8 million, while the shoulder months, such as May and October, are predicted to maintain their strategic importance. The sector will once again be driven by the foreign market, which is expected to yield over 38 million visitors (+1% compared to 2024). Italy is increasingly consolidating its position as a "top of mind" destination for foreign tourists, and international players capable of attracting significant flows to our country are also strengthening their respective positions.

For the domestic market, visitor numbers are expected to total 29.7 million, which is a slight drop compared to the previous year (-2%); this figure is affected by the decrease in purchasing power and the search for alternative destinations in the Mediterranean. On the geographical front, the Northeast and Northwest areas have once again proved particularly attractive, especially in terms of foreign demand: visitors to these two macro-regions represent almost 60% of the total, with over 31 million in the Northeast and almost 10 million in the Northwest, both slightly up on 2024. Analysis of the data also allowed us to estimate the direct economic impact of the outdoor sector in 2025, which will stand at around 4.97 billion; this figure represents the contribution to the economy generated by the spending of tourists choosing outdoor options. The estimated value of direct tourist expenditure per capita per day was established at approximately 73 euros. By extending the calculation beyond direct expenditure to indirect and induced expenditure, we arrived at a prediction of approximately 8.85 billion euros for the total economic impact of the outdoor sector.