Italy overtakes France in overnight stays by foreign tourists

 Monday, July 22, 2019 

Italy claimed that it had way more overnight stays by foreign nationals than tourist hotspot France.

The country’s tourist board said there were 216.5 million such stays in 2018 in Italy, compared with 140.7m in France.

However, Spain was highest in Europe with 301 million overnight stays.

It said foreigners spent €41.7 billion in Italy last year, boosting the Italian economy and gross domestic product by 1.5 per cent.

Overall, foreign tourism in Italy increased by 2.8 per cent compared to 2017, making up 13 per cent of Italy’s GDP.

Standing next to Rome’s famous Trevi fountain, one American tourist visiting with his partner summed up the attraction:

“Everyone I know has either come here or is planning to come here. Yes, so either the views or the food, with me personally the food. Her, she loves museums and churches.”

Tourism is expected to grow even further as the Chinese market continues to expand.

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