Laura Alese - Federturismo Confindustria

🏆 Atlanta tops the global airport rankings in August with 5.2 million seats available, followed by Dubai with nearly 5 million, and Tokyo Haneda with over 4.6 million. London Heathrow and Istanbul complete the top five. The big news is China's comeback, with Shanghai and Beijing ranking ninth and tenth. In international traffic, Dubai leads, followed by London and Amsterdam. Seoul jumps to fourth, while Istanbul and Frankfurt drop two spots. Europe's top airports remain unchanged from 2023, with Rome Fiumicino holding the eighth position and Munich overtaking London Gatwick for ninth.

🏖 In the first six months, Italy's tourism spending increased by 21% from the same period in 2023. Mastercard data revealed that national and international travelers contributed 36% and 64% respectively. German tourists lead Italy's international visitors, followed by Americans, Swiss, British, and French. The latter saw a 22% increase compared to 2023. Veneto region topped international tourism flows with a 32% increase, 71% from international tourists. For Venice, the top five spender corridors in July were Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the USA, and France, with American tourists' spending growing by 12.3% annually. European consumers prioritize experiences, accounting for 22% of total spend, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, with experiences and nightlife expenses in Europe hitting a five-year high of 12%.

📅 In the first half of 2024, AirPlus International recorded a 1.7% increase in business travel spending by European companies compared to the same period in 2023, with a 1.6% rise in the number of tickets booked. Although UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany had minimal impact on business travel, there was a notable shift towards earlier bookings, with flights booked 28.8 days in advance on average, up from 26.3 days in 2023. Female travelers booked 32 days ahead versus 27.2 days for males. Average trip duration slightly decreased from 5.9 to 5.8 days, and one-day trip percentage dipped from 6.8% to 6.7%. Weekend business travel starts rose to 16%. Business class flight bookings increased from 10.8% to 11.1%, and premium economy from 1.8% to 2%, while economy bookings dropped from 87.2% to 86.8%. Long-haul travel assumedly rose, as intra-European travel slightly fell from 52.7% to 52.2%, and flights from Europe to other continents grew from 15.6% to 16.1%. Average economy fare went up by 1.5% to €526, whereas business class average fare decreased by 2.1% to €3,784.