In the second quarter of 2026, tourism in Italy, according to ISTAT, registered nearly 148 million overnight stays in accommodation facilities, compared with just under 47 million arrivals. The data on tourist flows show a peculiar trend: compared with the same period in 2025, arrivals declined by 0.8%, while overnight stays rose by 3.9%. The figure thus highlights a longer average length of stay for visitors in Italian accommodation facilities.
The international component continues to carry a significant weight. In the quarter, foreign tourists represented 61.6% of total overnight stays, confirming themselves as the majority share of flows. Their presence increased by 4.6% compared to 2025, while the Italian clientele grew by 2.7%.
More overnight stays in Italy, especially in May
The increase in overnight stays touched all months of the quarter, but was particularly evident in May. Compared with the same month in 2025, Italian tourists’ overnight stays rose by 6.4%, while those of foreigners marked +10.1%, bringing the overall change to +8.8%.
However, for the quarter as a whole, June accounted for the largest share of overnight stays: 44.1% of the period’s stays.
The average length of stay in accommodations stood at 3.15 nights, a slight rise from the second quarter of 2025. Foreigners stayed an average of 3.34 nights, compared with 2.88 nights for Italian visitors.
The dati del secondo trimestre thus outline a market in which the growth in overnight stays does not coincide with an increase in arrivals. The slight drop in entries is accompanied by longer average stays and by a greater presence of international travelers. The dynamics are particularly evident in May, the month that recorded the most significant year-on-year increases, while June concentrated the largest share of the quarter’s overnight stays.
