Sometimes a film is enough to draw in tourists, as the effect of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Milan shows. Following the film’s release, pedestrian traffic from foreign visitors at its main Milan locations rose by 18% compared with the previous period.
The findings come from an analysis by the Confcommercio Milano Lodi Monza Brianza Research Centre, carried out using the Cities Analytics platform.
Areas with the sharpest growth
The increase was recorded across all monitored areas. Cairoli–Palazzo Clerici saw the strongest rise, at 28%, followed by Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II–Duomo at 17%, Brera at 14% and Montenapoleone at 13%.
Milan locations featured in the film
Filming took place in Milan between 8 and 18 October 2025, during Fashion Week. The city was not merely a backdrop, but a real part of the story: in the film, it effectively takes Paris’s place as the world capital of fashion. The main setting was the Quadrilatero della Moda, Milan’s fashion district, where Via Montenapoleone and its boutiques became open-air film sets.
Among the more striking locations was the Palazzo Parigi Hotel on Corso di Porta Nuova, selected for several key scenes. Piazza Duomo was filmed by drone, while sequences, including night scenes, were shot between Piazza della Scala and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Brera also featured, with the constant comings and goings of the cast, crew and more than 2,000 extras bringing the district to life.
Where Milan’s foreign visitors come from
Between 1 May and 26 July, 52.3% of foreign visitors in the areas analysed came from European Union countries, while 47.7% came from outside the EU, showing broad and varied international demand.
- The United States led the way as the top overseas market at every location, accounting for between 13% and 20% of visitors.
- France followed, at 11.6% to 13.8%
- Then the United Kingdom, at 8.5% to 10.6%.
Other European markets that stood out included Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.
Milan and international tourism: a lasting trend
The figures form only part of a wider picture. According to Marco Barbieri, Secretary General of Confcommercio Lodi Monza Brianza, “Our Research Centre’s analysis confirms a structural rise in international tourism in central Milan.”
Foreign visitor numbers are growing by an average of 28,500 people per month. Around 1.5 million foreign arrivals are expected in the city centre during the summer quarter of July, August and September, including more than 451,000 in August alone.
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