Italy's tourist overnight stays up 13.5 pct in spring holidays

by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Italy registered some 9.5-million overnight stays during spring holidays stretching from April 25 to May 1, according to estimates published on Wednesday.

The figure was unveiled in a report by the Confederation of Crafts and Small-Medium Sized Enterprises (CNA), and included both domestic and international visitors.

It would mark an increase of 13.5 percent -- or 500,000 more overnight stays -- compared to the same period of last year.

Arrivals between April 25 and May 1 totaled 1.6 millions, and the overall turnout generated by tourist flows grew by 9.5 percent up to 2.7 billion euros (3.2 billion U.S. dollars) compared to the same period in 2017, the CNA added.

The organization represents micro, small, and medium sized firms operating in services, manufacturing, transport, trade, and tourism sectors in Italy, and all estimates were based on a survey that involved 2,000 firms out of some 40,000 associate members, the CNA told Xinhua.

The report also showed the 9.5 million overnight stays were almost equally distributed between hotels (5 million), and guesthouses, B&Bs, and holiday farms altogether (4.5 million).

A peak was recorded in the days between April 28 and May 1, in which "the occupancy rate of bedrooms ranged between 80 percent and 90 percent in major cities, such as Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice and Milan," the CNA said.

April 25 and May 1 are the main spring bank holidays in Italy, marking respectively the Liberation Day from the Nazi German occupation at the end of World War II, and the International Labor Day.

If confirmed, the latest estimates would strengthen an upward trend the domestic tourism sector has gone through in latest years. Enditem