It is a well-established fact that Naples and the Amalfi Coast have long captivated North American travelers. But that Sicily has now made its way into the hearts of the tourists is quite  another story. A beautiful story, still to be written, although it will probably not come as a surprise,  considering the island's rich historical and cultural heritage, counterbalanced by its equally unique and fascinating landscapes and natural settings.  A land that lavishes its charms on those who come seeking them.

Catania

Writing a new page in this tale - which further encourages travellers to choose Sicily as their holiday destination - is the recent proliferation of direct air connections from the United States. Years after the pioneering Eurofly on the Palermo-New York route in the early 2000s. Starting with the recent debuts of Italy's Neos in May 2024 on the New York JFK-Palermo route, United Airlines May 2025 new Newark-Palermo /which was announced before Covid and then postponed), and Delta Air Lines New York JFK-Catania route this May. And this trio will be joined from June 2026 by Air Canada with its new route from Montreal to Catania.

Expectations are therefore sky-high for Sicilian tourism, which in 2024 totalled 21.5 million overnight stays and 6.9 million arrivals, +3.3% over the previous year. The figures are from the region's tourism department and they show how foreign visitors drove last season's figures, “with a 54.9% share of the total, up 11.2% on 2023”. In addition to the traditional French and German markets, new markets have also appeared. Sicily, however, continues to captivate American visitors, its cinematic spotlight—thanks to hits like The White Lotus—turning it into a must-see destination, and the investments in aviation are giving the Region a renewed impetus to elevate the traveler experience, from its hospitality offerings to the quality of its road network.

Condor has every intention of putting down roots in Italy and is now heading to Venice.

Revenues and load factors exceed expectations

“Ours is a strong commitment to the Italian market and demonstrates the importance and potential of the area for Condor,- explains Lorna Dalziel, general manager Italy, regarding the flight from Frankfurt to Venice, which will be operational from May 2026. “Flights to Rome and Milan Malpensa from the Frankfurt hub have exceeded our expectations both in terms of revenue and load factor.” Particularly appreciated was “the onboard service, the warmth of the crew and, crucially, the connection time at Frankfurt airport, one and a half hours, ideal and perfectly sufficient to board the next flight.

“Some 75% of sales transit from the trade”

“Now the priority is to consolidate the results on the already active routes” which could include a presence at Linate airport, still afflicted by the well-known problem of the lack of slots: “Condor's initial project did look at the Milanese city airport and so the company will continue to evaluate it. Some 75% of sales (a figure that includes tour operators and online tour operators Ed.) transit from the trade, and from the outset Condor welcomed the novelty with enthusiasm and very positive support. We offered them a product that was not only new, but also valid. And they like it because it is for everyone. Of course, the immediate challenge was to work on changing the perception of the airline. This was a demanding job that has seen us and still sees us travelling around Italy to meet travel agents and explain to them who we are and what further opportunities are opening up for them and their customers.”

Connections to the Caribbean, US and Canada

A little less than three months after the launch, “about 80-85% of passengers from Italy fly beyond Frankfurt: mainly to the classic destinations and to the Caribbean or the classics in the Far East, but already now, working alongside the trade, we are noticing a different variety of requests, such as Canada, for example, or Johannesburg. In the USA, beyond New York, we can reach Las Vegas, Boston or Portland: different destinations towards which we can create new demand, an objective to which we are particularly committed, as are the respective tourist boards. Investments are dedicated to the trade with partners on roadshows, academies, and participation in sector events.”

Business and economy class

Condor's commitment also looks at the increase in Italian passengers on p2p, for the most part business travellers. “This figure is destined to increase, with the work we are doing with the tmc, but also with the German and Frankfurt tourist boards: the city and its surroundings have a lot to offer visitors and we would like to study a stop-over product.” As part of the modernization of the Condor short-haul fleet, more new and efficient Airbus A320neo aircraft will be used on the new flights. All flights take off in a
two-class configuration: with Business Class, where drinks and a high-quality snack are served, and Economy Class, where guests receive free gifts.

The value of investments made in Italy in 2024 was staggering, and there are ambitious but realistic projections for further growth by the end of 2025. But what really stands out is the growing prominence of luxury, which, moreover, involves not only big cities but extends to various other destinations, especially leisure. 

This is the picture of the Italian hotel real estate sector that emerged from the Hospitality Forum 2025, organized by Scenari Immobiliari and Castello SGR, which captures a period of exceptional growth for the hotel market, following investments of 2.2 billion in 2024 which are projected to reach 3 billion this year, which is to say a 50% increase in just 12 months. With almost 90 transactions completed between 2024 and early 2025, the sector recognizes luxury and upscale hôtellerie as primary drivers of growth, having attracted 60% of investments in the last 18 months.

In short, Italy “is one of the most attractive countries in Europe, with the hotel sector worth up to 30% of real estate transactions,” observes Giampiero Schiavo, managing director and general manager of Castello SGR,  affirming the spotlight on new destinations alongside the classic favorites Milan, Rome, Florence, and Venice: new ‘dream-destinations’ in “secondary” cities such as Bologna, Genoa, Naples, Palermo and Verona, as well as many lake and seaside resorts. On the other hand, Italy now has the largest number of luxury destinations from Cortina and Courmayeur to Portofino, the Amalfi Coast, Puglia and Taormina. It is the territory itself that becomes a strategic asset in which investors place their trust, and it is benefitting from this great interest if it is true that “investing in luxury means not only redeveloping hotel assets but also the context in which the hotels are located, with all associated services.”

The future is an optimistic one: the Italian hotel market, buoyed by growing tourist demand - particularly from international visitors - is poised for a five-year period of further development which will position our country among the European leaders in hospitality real estate.”
 

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Italy has high expectations for 2025 as a surge in arrivals from China is anticipated after the number of Chinese travellers rose by 24.7% in 2024 over the previous year for a total of 176,000 arrivals. A figure that was, however, below pre-Covid levels, when arrivals were around 451,000 (Bank of Italy, ENIT data).

The ENIT report presented at the ITB China in Shanghai highlights the positive trend for the first months of 2025: between January and April, in fact, airport arrivals from China to Italy totalled 67,680, +2.2% compared to the same period in 2024. And for the next six months a further 27% growth is estimated compared to May-October 2024, with over 96% of arrivals related to tourism. In support of the ENIT estimates - which are still forecasts - one thing is certain: the numbers speak
clearly when it comes to investments in flights. In the first half of 2025 between Rome Fiumicino and the whole of Asia airlines will provide 1.27 million seats (in both directions), +6% compared to the first half of 2024 and +8% over the same period in 2019. Malpensa will make an even more evident leap with seats offered reaching 1.25 million in the first half of 2025, 33% more than in 2024 and 49% more than in 2019.

Milan Malpensa is the fourth airport in Europe (after Paris, London and Frankfurt) in terms of carriers and destinations connected with Asia and has the highest number of flights with China from our country: Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Xian, Zhengzhou for 35 weekly flights. And that's not all: Trenitalia is betting on the potential of the Chinese market, given that in this first part of 2025 it has doubled its sales through distributors and channels in China compared to last year. Will 2025 be the year of the great return of Chinese tourists to Italy? Perhaps. And perhaps they will be younger, more digitally friendly and attracted by shopping, especially Italian fashions, but without losing sight of the art cities (which attract 70% of Chinese travellers). Of course, the full picture will only emerge at year’s end.

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Wizz Air has backtracked on its announcement to launch a new route from Abu Dhabi to Milan Malpensa, which was scheduled to take off on 2 June with daily flights.

“The route would not be sustainable”

In a brief statement, the Hungarian low-cost airline recently announced that “Due to unexpected changes in market conditions and operational considerations, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend the launch of our new Abu-Dhabi-Milan Malpensa route.” The launch was announced last September in Milan by Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi, who now states: “Although we were excited to offer this service to our customers, careful analysis has determined that, at this time, it would not be sustainable. We remain committed to exploring future opportunities in line with customer demand and our strategic objectives.”

Competition from Etihad Airways

The blame therefore lies with the low number of tickets sold on the route and the fact that not many passengers seem to be willing to spend almost six hours sitting in the cramped seats of an ultra-low-cost airline. It also probably lies with the fierce competition that the announcement had triggered with the only other direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Milan Malpensa which is operated by the Gulf carrier Etihad Airways.

The ball is now in Wizz Air’s court

Etihad was not caught unprepared, choosing to modify (in other words, lower) its fares, at least for the time being, in order to discourage Wizz Air's ambitions on the route. This strategy seems to have proved the Emirati airline right. Wizz Air now needs to decide whether the idea of using an A321Xlr aircraft for long-haul flights is the right type of plane to put on routes of this type given that the Hungarian low-cost airline was also planning to open a route from Europe to India with the same aircraft.

  

A runway lounge “Where style takes off” is the slogan for the new ITA Airways lounge at Milan Linate Airport. It is a space imbued with the flavour of Italian excellence: the red of Campari, the aroma of illycaffè, the lighting by iGuzzini, and the clean, comfortable lines of Poltrona Frau. A place that evokes the very identity of the city of Milan, the beating heart of fashion and design. 

But there is also the vision of a CEO, Joerg Eberhart, who, with his feet firmly on the ground, is focusing on the company's priorities in the wake of Lufthansa's 41% stake in the company. A CEO who is aiming for a “sustainable break-even” after the 2024 financial statements recorded a positive EBIT for the first time.

Now, the Italian airline's entry into the German giant's ranks may or may not be welcome. But “the German from Verona” (Eberhart has lived in the Veneto city for some time and speaks perfect Italian after being at the helm of Air Dolomiti for over seven years, but with a professional career that also saw him as a flight attendant and then a pilot on the A320) seems to have found some solid ground on which to steer ITA towards the LH Group's stated goal of an 8% margin (as for all the Group's carriers).

In an international context that would be an understatement to describe as complex - and therefore makes it “difficult to make predictions for the coming months” - Eberhart is counting on synergies with the Lufthansa Group (which will be more tangible when the Germans increase their stake in the Italian carrier, potentially as early as June) and on the entry into the joint venture with United Airlines and Air Canada. And there is also room for the return of the beloved old Alitalia brand: “We don’t yet have a definite plan for when and how it will return, but it will certainly be promoted.”

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Wizz Air has backtracked on its announcement to launch a new route from Abu Dhabi to Milan Malpensa, which was scheduled to take off on 2 June with daily flights.

“The route would not be sustainable”

In a brief statement, the Hungarian low-cost airline recently announced that “Due to unexpected changes in market conditions and operational considerations, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend the launch of our new Abu-Dhabi-Milan Malpensa route.” The launch was announced last September in Milan by Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi, who now states: “Although we were excited to offer this service to our customers, careful analysis has determined that, at this time, it would not be sustainable. We remain committed to exploring future opportunities in line with customer demand and our strategic objectives.”

Competition from Etihad Airways

The blame therefore lies with the low number of tickets sold on the route and the fact that not many passengers seem to be willing to spend almost six hours sitting in the cramped seats of an ultra-low-cost airline. It also probably lies with the fierce competition that the announcement had triggered with the only other direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Milan Malpensa which is operated by the Gulf carrier Etihad Airways.

The ball is now in Wizz Air’s court

Etihad was not caught unprepared, choosing to modify (in other words, lower) its fares, at least for the time being, in order to discourage Wizz Air's ambitions on the route. This strategy seems to have proved the Emirati airline right. Wizz Air now needs to decide whether the idea of using an A321Xlr aircraft for long-haul flights is the right type of plane to put on routes of this type given that the Hungarian low-cost airline was also planning to open a route from Europe to India with the same aircraft.

  

The summer season that has just kicked off, leaves room for optimism at Air Transat with regard to Venice flights for the winter Olympics.

8 weekly Toronto-Rome flights

In the wake of strong demand for travel between Canada and Italy, the company has introduced more capacity on routes between the two countries. “In particular- says Tiziana Della Serra, managing director and head of sales & marketing at Rephouse Gsa, which has represented the carrier in Italy for 19 years - the Toronto-Rome route will have eight weekly flights from 29 June (compared to the daily frequencies planned from mid-June) thanks to the double Sunday connection.”

Toronto-Lamezia: a weekly summer flight

The daily flight from Montreal is also confirmed and to Venice there will be two weekly flights from both Toronto and Montreal, from 3 and 5 May respectively. The last route to become active again will be from Lamezia to Toronto, with a weekly flight from 12 June until 2 October. “Overall, in the peak of the 2025 summer season - that is, between the end of June and September - we will operate 20 flights a week.”

“For Venice airport, Canada is an important market”

“The summer resumption of Air Transat flights reflects a growth in traffic volumes that has characterised the flows between Canada and our region in recent years, - comments Camillo Bozzolo, director of aviation development Save Group. -For the catchment area of Venice’s airport, Canada is an important market, with traffic volumes fuelled by tourist, business and family reunion travel. The hope is that, also in view of the 2026 Olympics, which represent an important appointment for the Canadian national teams, the company will extend its flights also during the winter season.”

A very solid relationship with the trade

All of Air Transat's intercontinental flights are operated with Airbus A330-200 or A330-300 aircraft configured in economy and club classes, ‘and on all flights, all fares - including the budget, which is not changeable or refundable - include hand luggage. “We have a very solid relationship with the trade - concludes Tiziana Della Serra - our travel agents are our trusted partners and Rephouse is always at their disposal for any need, information and assistance.”