The war slows down tourism in Italy: bookings drop, especially from the USA

The ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and the Middle East have not led to a wave of cancellations in hotels and hotel accommodation facilities in Italy, even if there is a slowdown in bookings especially those coming from the US market.

During the Annual Meeting, Federalberghi reflects on the trends in view of next summer and asks the government to intervene in the matter expensive energyto avoid the risk of having problems during the high season.

The association underlines that, in recent years, the Italian hospitality market has already had to make up for the strong contraction in tourist flows from Russia and now must deal with tensions in the Middle East.

The speech of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

“We are facing the most difficult economic situation in recent years, but I think we must do it with an awareness that even in this context we can demonstrate what we are made of”, says the prime minister Giorgia Meloniguest of the assembly.

“And our figure – he underlines – because the truth is that we are Italians, settling is not part of our DNA. Don’t do it, because we won’t do it: I won’t do it”.

The Prime Minister reiterates: “We have not been lucky in this political season, with instability becoming normality. The picture is constantly changing, we are working every minute to stabilize the picture in scenarios that have now multiplied. While I was coming here, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed again.”

The impact of conflicts on tourism

The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine but above all in the Middle East may affect tourist flows directed towards our country, especially those coming from overseas markets, which more than others are affected by a perception of instability and uncertainty.

The president of Federalberghi, Bernabo Boccaunderlines that for summer 2026 “we don’t have any major cancellations, but we are seeing a slowdown from the foreign market, especially American”.

The North American market is in fact considered fundamental for its spending capacity. Bocca adds that it is necessary to intervene to “sterilize the effects of this exogenous shock which could be serious and long-lasting”.

Illegal practices and competition in the sector

Bocca also focuses on the need for certain rules for the entire sector, denouncing the so-called unfair competition of holiday homes.

“Tourism is an extraordinary resource, but it must be preserved from squatters and pirates”, he highlights.

Squatters are those who carry out hospitality activities without authorization and structural requirements. “They don’t create wealth, they destroy it”, says Bocca, underlining how this phenomenon empties cities and transforms them into “desolate dormitories”.

Tourism numbers in Italy

The Annual Meeting also provided data on the sector, highlighting the growth of the high-end hotel sector.

Italy matters 32,943 hotels1.1 million rooms and 2.3 million beds, making it the first European country in terms of hotel accommodation capacity.

The largest category is that of 3 place and tourist-hotel residences, with 55.2% of the offer. 4 and 5 star hotels represent 22.5% of the total.

In 2000 the situation was different: the most widespread category was that of 1 and 2 star hotels, which represented 49.3% of the offer.

The size of hotels has increased: between 1980 and 2024, the number of beds per facility went from an average of 37.6 to 69.3.