(Finance) – Italians weigh on the summer departures new peak of infections, inflation, expensive energy as well as the perception of political instability. According to a Confcommercio survey with Swg many will go on vacation – 27 million, as in 2019 – but the pandemic upsurge causes departures in July to drop to 12.3 million compared to the expected 16.8 million.
Price rises and political crisis affect August and September: trips of 7 days or more are reduced by 3 million and those of average duration (3-6 days) and above all mini breaks are increased. The budget is also down: the budget for medium-term holidays drops from € 541 expected in June to around € 475, and from € 1,252 to € 1,117 for longer trips. 88% of those leaving chose Italy while 12% will go abroad – mostly to Europe – especially for holidays of 7 days or more in August and September, where a peak of 28% is recorded.
The sea is always in the lead, with 44% of preferences that becomes 51% if we consider only the main holidays of 7 or more days. The mountains follow at 15% – a value in line with the history of this type – while holidays in cities, especially those of art, and in small villages, add up to 21%. In Italy, where Puglia remains the most sought-after destination, Emilia Romagna wins the sprint for second place, followed by Tuscany and Sicily, while Sardinia, probably a victim more than other regions of the cost of connections, falls to seventh position, from the fourth it occupied a month ago. Instead, Liguria appears among the top 5.
The hit of foreign destinations, on the other hand, was almost unchanged in one month, with Greece at the top, however, closely followed by Spain and, to follow, France and Croatia.