Italy – the Queen of Winter Tourism

A survey by SWG, commissioned by Confcommercio, highlights the great attractiveness of the country’s ski destinations, which are increasingly easy to reach, including by sustainable travel means such as train.

Italy is more than just sea, sun and culture: it’s also a popular destination for those who love the mountains.

This is confirmed by data from a survey commissioned by Confcommercio and conducted by SWG, which gives an overview of tourism trends in the first months of 2023: 12 million Italians chose the mountains for their winter vacations. Of these, more than 7.5 million travelled for a break lasting a week or less, and many chose “quick getaway” options.

These options were made all the more attractive by an efficient and extensive transportation network, which makes it possible to reach the most renowned resorts throughout the Alps.

For instance, the offer put forward by Trenitalia played a very important role: as part of the Winter Experience, the company put in place a series of initiatives to ensure transportation to the ski resorts on weekends: for example, it has increased FrecciaRossa journeys to Bardonecchia, and has activated a series of combined train + bus connections between 17 December 2022 and 26 March 2023 so travellers can reach their destination comfortably, even without a car.

Many Freccialink connections have been activated, including direct connections to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Madonna di Campiglio, Canazei and Courmayeur.

These are combinations that provide sustainable and quick access to the country’s most beautiful and renowned slopes. But not only slopes – because winter tourism in mountain resorts is no longer just for ski enthusiasts.

Tourists are increasingly seeking unique, tailor-made experiences capable of giving an outlet to their passions. This is an obvious need, which finds an answer in the True Italian Experience multimedia platform: a hub that aims to respond to the growing need of tourists, both Italian and foreign, for authentic and original experiences, and does so by offering activities, tours and experiences in line with the users’ interests.

As the SWG survey shows, these interests are growing increasingly diverse: one takeaway was that the top reasons that prompted tourists to choose mountain resorts as their destinations were, in order, excursions in nature, food and wine tasting, relaxation in wellness centres and shopping. Alpine skiing and other winter sports only came in fifth, perhaps with the steep prices of ski passes being a contributing factor. Many needs, many activities for tourism that is increasingly experiential.