In Veneto si preannuncia una estate da record

The summer of 2026 is predicted to break new tourism records in the Veneto region. Lucas Pavanetto, the region's vice president and tourism officer, stated that the updated forecasts confirm optimistic prospects for the latter part of August, with occupancy rates very close to the 2025 consolidated levels for sea and campsite beaches, and already reached for art cities.

Mountain areas also show good performance, with stability already confirmed for the first half of September. Preliminary data indicate a growth in the start of the tourism season in the region. During Ferragosto week, the peak season, the occupancy rate for sea campsites reached 94.6% and 87.8% for lake areas. Hotels by the sea (88.2%), lake (86.7%), mountains (82.8%), and seaside resorts (70.3%) followed, with art cities at 65.4%.

Pavanetto noted that the trend aligns with the physiological mid-August decline. Last-minute bookings for the hottest destinations are also declining, suggesting that particularly high temperatures have influenced travelers' choices. Provisional data from the Regional Statistical System (Sistar) shows over 2.6 million arrivals and 9.8 million stays in June, with international visitors accounting for over 70% of the total (1.8 million arrivals and 7.1 million stays).

In the first half of 2026, arrivals increased by +0.6% and stays by +1.6%. The significant increase is observed in the lake area, followed by mountains and art cities, with stable performance in the sea and a decline in resorts. The slight decrease in domestic flows is compensated by the increase in international ones, with a +1.7% rise in arrivals and +3.1% in stays, driven mainly by Germans (+4.8%), Americans (+6.4%), British (+8%), and Dutch (+10.3%).

Observations from the Veneto Regional Federated Tourism Observatory and data from hospitality provider HBenchmark, combined with Federalberghi Veneto and Faita Veneto, indicate that the sea will have occupancy levels above 85% in hotels and above 92% in campsites by early August, while the mountain area shows a growth trend, from 70% by the end of July to 75% in the first week of August, as well as the lake area (87.8%) in the hotel sector and around 88% in the open-air sector.

Mountain areas show a growth trend, rising from 70% by the end of July to 75% in the first week of August, along with the lake area (87.8%) in the hotel sector and around 88% in the open-air sector. The mountain area shows an upward trend, reaching 75% by the first week of August. Art cities maintain stable occupancy around 70%.

In terms of spending, data from Mastercard revealed that Lake Garda leads in regional turnover, accounting for 18%, followed by Venice (14%), Jesolo (12%), Verona (10%), and Treviso (~8.5%). The international market accounts for 61% of total spending, while the domestic market makes up 39%. July tourist and excursionist spending grew by +23% compared to June and +6% compared to the same period in 2025.