Rome, Jun. 4, (dpa/GNA) – Italy saw its highest ever number of tourists in 2023, according to the latest figures from the statistics authority Istat and the Ministry of Tourism.

Last year, Italy recorded more than 134 million holidaymaker arrivals with around 451 million overnight stays in accommodation establishments, according to a joint statement from the authority and the ministry in Rome on Tuesday.

Istat says these were the highest figures ever recorded in tourism surveys. Compared with 2022, the number of arrivals increased by 13.4% and overnight stays by 9.5%. That is around 16 million more holidaymaker arrivals and 39 million more overnight stays.

The figure even exceeds the figures for 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic began, when there were around 131 million holidaymakers with 436 million overnight stays.

Italy is one of the most popular destinations for international holidaymakers, and just over half of tourists last year came from abroad.

The regions with the most visitors were Veneto, the lagoon city of Venice, Tuscany, Lombardy, and Lazio as well as the Italian capital Rome.

It’s not all good news, though.

Venice, Rome and some cities in Tuscany are significantly overcrowded during the holiday season. There is growing resentment among the residents of these cities, who are calling for the flow of visitors to be better controlled and restricted.

Venice introduced an entrance fee for day visitors a few months ago.

GNA