Luxury is proving to be a fundamental sector in the Italian tourist panorama. This is what emerged from the ILTM Latin America in São Paulo, Brazil, a reference fair for the luxury travel sector, which gathers exhibitors and visitors from all over the world. According to the latest data from Virtuoso’s Luxe Report 2025, Italy is at the top of the list as the Top Global Destination 2025, leaving Greece, France, Japan and Croatia in the top five. Even at the level of individual cities, our country enters on the podium with Rome which is positioned among the favorite destinations beating realities such as London and Tokyo.

Another Italian record is the one related to honeymoons: Italy is first in the ranking dedicated to "Honeymoon Destination"; significant result that, according to Enit, the National Agency for Tourism, Highlights the local artistic and naturalistic pearls since in this specific sector, Italy beats ambitious destinations such as Greece, Bali, Polynesia and the Maldives.

Luxury tourism and shopping tourism, according to data from the Shopping Tourism Monitor, of which Enit is a partner, are phenomena that are growing and generating value in Italy: in 2024 alone there were more than 2 million shopping tourists, with an increase of 7% compared to the pre-periodcovid. In this segment of "shopping" tourism, Italy is confirmed as a leading destination offering a unique experience that combines the richness of cultural heritage with the excellence of Made in Italy. 

On the other hand, the Italian offer for shopping tourism is varied and of high quality, ranging from 26 outlet villages distributed on the national territory, to renowned department stores, to the iconic shopping streets and over 1,300 historic shops in 10 cities that also bear witness to a centuries-old craft and commercial tradition. The sector is experiencing a phase of renewal, then,, with important investments in travel retail at airports and railway stations, and an increasing focus on sustainability and the enhancement of the territory: Food courts are emerging as new poles of attraction, combining the gastronomic experience with shopping. The value of shopping tourism is projected to reach 327.8 billion dollars by 2027 globally: in Italy, the direct contribution of shopping tourism to GDP is over 2.5 billion Euros, with China and the United States remaining the target markets.

According to the sample survey of the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), shopping is an activity carried out on average by 67% of US travelers, the second preference after visiting the main tourist attractions of destinations. In Europe the share rises to 76.3%, while in Italy it reaches 77.9%.

This is not a small figure, given that in 2024 there were more than 4 million visitors from the USA who stayed in Italy, with an incidence of 4.6% on the total number of international incoming travellers, generating 33.7 million overnight stays with a total expenditure of about 6.5 billion Euros. Positive trend that is expected to continue to create value also for the current year: between April and September 2025 expected in Italian airports about 1,650,000 passengers from the United States, 94% of which arrive for holidays, with an increase of +10,7% compared to 2024.

The same goes for the LATAM market: from April to September 2025,334,200 airport passengers are expected from this area, with an increase of +10.6% over 2024: Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican and Chilean tourists stand out.

"We make known our tourist offer in a key market such as the US and Latin America -comments Ivana Jelinic, ceo of Enit-. There is a strong demand for luxury stays and shopping experiences, it is our task to meet these needs of international tourists to create value on the Italian territory".