Tourism is on the rise again and, with it, the desire for shopping in Italy. The United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom are among the main international markets for incoming tourism to Italy, with an average daily per capita expenditure of 100 euros. This is according to Risposte Turismo, a research and consulting company in the tourism macro-industry presented in Venice during the inaugural stage of Shopping Tourism - the Italian forum. We have all the details about shopping in Italy, where Milan, Rome and Venice are among shoppers' favourite destinations.
"Shopping tourism in Italy benefits from the recovery of travel, including international travel, with advantages for the commercial offer of destinations as well as for other components of local economic systems," says Francesco di Cesare, President of Risposte Turismo. "In order to take advantage of this opportunity, operators will have to show that they are up-to-date and sensitive to the demands and preferences of tourists, especially those who are travelling to shop in the destinations they visit, and expect to gain value - in terms of knowledge, information, entertainment - from the experience they will live".
Shopping Tourism in Milan, London and New York
The top cities chosen as shopping tourism destinations include Milan along with London, New York and Paris (confirming previous Risposte Turismo surveys), while other top cities include Los Angeles, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.
According to the new edition of the Shopping Tourism Italian Monitor, the reference research report on the phenomenon by Risposte Turismo, among the factors that most influence the choice of travel destination are, after discounts, sales and promotions (60%), the commercial offer of the destination (34%), the services available (transport but also dedicated apps and maps, 32%), the proximity to attractions/places to visit (29%) and the presence of typical products/special or unique products (27%).
Of the part of the sample of interviewees referring to those who stated that they had never travelled with shopping as their main motivation, 14% indicated shopping as one of the prevailing activities during their stay, thus demonstrating the general strength of the tourism and shopping combination among demand.
Shopping tourism in Venice
According to a further survey carried out on over 80 shops in Venice, according to the retail operators interviewed, three out of four customers are tourists and sales levels at the end of the year will be very similar to those of 2019.
Among the foreign tourists most present in shops in the city, Americans prevail (32%), followed by the French (25%), Germans (22%) and the British (8%).
In addition, about a third of the shops surveyed emphasise that, compared to 2019, tourists' habits have changed: they demand original or customised products created by local artisans and new experiences such as meeting them, as well as optimising shopping expeditions to the places where they are sold, even though part of the tourist clientele now expresses less purchasing power
Finally, as far as sales to tourists shopping in Italy are concerned, 9 out of 10 shopkeepers emphasise excellent prospects towards 2023 (44% declare a positive situation and trust it will improve further next year). Although 64% of shops have an e-commerce service (mainly through their own website), more than 6 out of 10 still rely on in-store sales.
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