A recent study showed that Italians on vacation spend much more on food than on rental housing or on a hotel room.
According to a recent report by the Italian National Confederation of Farmers of Italy Coldiretti (www.coldiretti.it), the level of spending by Italians on holiday rental housing has decreased by 22 percent since 2007, while residents of the country of wine and sun began to prefer food. than comfort, spending 30 percent more on food than seven years ago.
The report also indicated that in recent years, Italians have preferred to spend their holidays not in luxury 5-star hotels, but in farmsteads and hostels, which significantly reduces costs. So, they are ready to give only 25 percent of the total cost of their vacation for rental housing. It is noteworthy that the good nutrition of residents of a sunny country excites much more: they spend on food, as well as whole breakfasts, lunches and dinners, about 31 percent of their vacation budget.
Despite the relatively recent trend, representatives of the Apennine Peninsula themselves argue that they are not so “leaning” on food outside of vacation. Fifty percent of the respondents said that they prefer to enjoy delicious food, regardless of whether they are at home or relaxing abroad, in the company of their friends or family members.
According to Coldiretti, Italian residents who go on holiday are increasingly setting out on an outdoor picnic. About 50 percent of respondents said that they take lunch with them to the beach. And although most of them stop at light food (salads and snacks), this does not mean at all that one cannot meet an Italian on the beach, who is happy to absorb lasagna right to the sound of the surf.
Sociologists of the National Confederation of Farmers of Italy also found that the residents of the country of wine and sun prefer to bring some “food gifts” and alcohol as souvenirs. If a vacationer is left to spend his free time in the summer within the country, then preference is usually given to cheeses, olive oil and wine.
By the way, according to a recent Eurostat report, more and more Italians are choosing other countries as their vacation destination. More than a third of the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula - 36.4 percent - go on a trip to their native country, while in France this number is 49.1 percent, and in Spain - 40.9 percent. It is noteworthy that most Italians choose a vacation in France and Spain.
In 2012, residents of Italy spent an average of about 6.1 nights outside the country, which exceeds the European average of 5.2 nights. However, the Italians were not able to break the record of the Greeks, who leave their country for an average of 7.5 nights. At the bottom of the rating were Latvians (3.1 nights).
Despite the fact that Italians want to relax in other countries, their homeland is still one of the most desirable tourist destinations. Most often, Italy is chosen by residents of Malta, Romania, Austria, France, Germany and Slovenia. At the moment, Italy is the third most popular country among tourists after Spain and France.
