Italy just enjoyed a bumper autumn laced with long weekends, digital nomads and corporate retreats.
More visitors want sustainable stays
After a record summer, autumn confirmed the desire to discover authentic experiences, with travellers looking for slower experiences, contact with nature, food and wine, and moments of wellbeing. The most recent analyses by ISTAT and the Ministry of Tourism show a clear picture: in the second quarter of 2025, tourist stays grew by +4.7 % over the previous year, with +12 % in mountain municipalities and inland areas. Data that signal a growing interest in a more sustainable form of tourism that seems destined to continue in future autumns.
Who are these new visitors?
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, overall tourism expenditure will reach €185 billion in 2025, confirming the solidity of the sector. With an OTA saturation rate of 46.7 % in June, Italy proves to be an attractive destination in every season, ready to welcome a demand that is increasingly moving towards long weekends, local experiences and off-season regeneration trips But today, more than ever, it is not enough to know how many people are coming: it is essential for stakeholders to understand who these visitors are, what they are looking for, and how one can create an offer capable of responding to this new complexity.
Long weekends are very popular
One of the growing trends is that of autumn long weekends: short trips, often concentrated around bank holiday weekends, chosen by those who want to switch off without straying too far away. Autumn thus becomes an ideal season for discovering the great art cities, nature trails and food and wine itineraries, offering destinations a concrete opportunity for de-seasonalization. Destinations are called upon to propose tailor-made and last-minute experiences, capable of responding to an increasingly dynamic demand. Moreover, this formula represents an opportunity to enhance inland territories and villages, counteracting the overtourism of the summer months. "The real question is not how many tourists will arrive, but who they will be. Understanding the new travellers is not only useful for those who manage an accommodation facility, but for anyone working in the tourism chain,” Luca Rodella, CEO of Smartness, an Italian company that helps hoteliers and hosts analyze data and market trends to optimize their pricing strategies.
Digital nomads: working with a view of foliage
Today over 40 million people worldwide identify with the digital nomad lifestyle: an expanding community of mostly freelancers, marketing professionals, developers, digital consultants, creatives and online entrepreneurs. A fluid army on the move, especially in autumn: one of the favourite seasons for travelling while working, thanks to cheaper rates and less crowded destinations. This phenomenon is also consolidating in Italy, with small towns and villages, cities of art and mountain destinations providing coworking spaces, fast connections and flexible hospitality. The metamorphosis concerns not only the way of working, but also the concept of travel itself, which is becoming slower, experiential and integrated into daily life, transforming the tourist into a temporary citizen.
Corporate retreats: the new season of connection
Alongside short breaks and digital nomad life, a new form of professional tourism is emerging: autumn corporate retreats. No longer simple conventions or bleisure trips, but immersive travel that focus on relationships, creativity and team vision. In an increasingly hybrid and distributed working world, companies are rediscovering the value of getting together, not to work harder, but to strengthen the sense of belonging and nurture corporate culture. October and November break the pattern of traditional seasonality and become key months for companies choosing locations immersed in nature or wellness resorts to strengthen team cohesion. In an increasingly hybrid world of work, the low season is thus transformed into a high opportunity.
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