Italy, a home to major events, is preparing to welcome an influx of visitors for the 25th Winter Olympics, scheduled for 6 to 22 February. Is everything ready? It's hard to say, with works still being completed and tickets still to be sold.
The target figure, as revealed in the report “Italy unites the world. Milan Cortina 2026: building bridges through sport” by Banca IFIS, is €5.3 billion, which should be the economic impact on Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige, the three regions involved in the event.Just under 3,000 athletes from 90 countries are expected to attract over 2.5 million visitors, for an estimated global audience of over three billion people. And an additional 400,000 spectators are expected for the Paralympics, scheduled for 6-15 March.
However, what is creating great expectations is not so much these figures as the value generated by investments in infrastructure which is estimated at around €3 billion and involves the construction of over 90 projects including sports facilities, new railway lines, urban redevelopment and road improvements.
Further fuelling expectations is the expected “chain” effect on tourism in the following years. Because the revenue from tourist spending during the event will be added to the income guaranteed by the increase in tourists that will be recorded in the 12-18 months after the event. All of which should contribute to total tourist spending of more than €2.3 billion. The first to benefit from these effects have been owners of short-term rentals, who are seeing huge surges in revenue. According to a AirDna's survey, total turnover in Milan during the competition period will increase by 589% compared to revenues recorded in the same period in 2025.
In just three weeks we will be in the thick of it, finally able to evaluate how much of this significant opportunity will translate into tangible benefits for our country.
Isabella Cattoni
Journalist
