It’s not just Tuscany: the eternal love story between British travellers and Italy, the cradle of fine arts, knows no bounds. In fact, cross-Channel travellers are increasingly choosing other regions, from Puglia to Calabria, also thanks to targeted flight schedules. At the top of the list we find Veneto (naturally driven by Venice) where consolidated stays in 2024 exceeded 2.31 million, according to ENIT at the recent WTM in London. Veneto is then followed by Latium, Lombardy (with an excellent 1.77 million), Campania and finally Tuscany, which came close to 1.44 million.
Although Rome, Milan and Venice will remain the main destinations for flights from the UK this year, from the data collected by British tour operators selling Italy, the experiences most sought after by British tourists combine the more traditional sun and sea destinations. the islands or Tuscany and Umbria for villages in the inland areas. In fact, after the big three the airports most used by British visitors in 2025 were Naples, Pisa, Verona and Catania.
From January to August airport arrivals from the UK to Tuscany (around 326,000 +7.8%) or Sicily (over 148,000 +11.6%) but also to new destinations such as Apulia (85,000 +21.5%) and Calabria (around 17,000 +53%) have grown. It should also be noted how - again in 2024 - the five provinces with the highest number of British presences were Rome (2,268,431), Naples (1,407,742), Venice (1,124,345), Verona (969,902) and Milan (720,535).
In the first eight months of 2025, which is now drawing to a close, airport arrivals to Italy from the UK grew by 3.2%: British visitors now represent 16.1% of the foreign total and are, above all, a “rich” market: with €2.4 billion spent in the first half of 2025, a +10.1% rise over 2024 and an even more marked growth - +41.5% - compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist
