Tourism: +3% international visitors in Italy
Rome - Over 22 million Italians chose to spend their holidays in Italy this year, with 7 out of 10 heading for beach resorts mostly in Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and Romagna, followed by mountain resorts and cities of art and culture. Italy has been a favourite destination of international tourists as well: the number of German, French, British and American visitors rose by 3% compared with last year, with Russians making a comeback. Many of them chose to stay at hotels, which reported a 2% increase in the number of international and 3% increase in domestic guests. "Its been a great summer so far", commented Gianfranco Battisti, chairman of Federturismo, the Italian travel and tourism federation.Italians opting to spend their holidays offshore chose to stay close to home, preferring the Spanish and Greek islands, while Cuba, Mexico and Japan topped the list of favourite exotic destinations.Train travel has been another favourite this summer, with over 26 million tourists choosing to reach their destinations on high speed Frecce and other trains of the national railway network, up 2% compared with 2016. But what's new this year is the substantial increase in September bookings, which will help extend the summer season beyond the back-to-school period, with a 6% growth compared to last year.