Tourism without seasonality: Italy is growing in value, sustainability and innovation, and its MICE industry holds a prime position among the top countries in the world ranking of conference tourism.
Italy is one of the world’s top conference tourism countries
ENIT has a raft of important international events under its belt, including international workshops in collaboration with the Convention Bureau and the Italian Knowledge event that brings the industry's elite to Italy for a professional networking experience. The meetings industry segment is growing rapidly thanks to the all-Italian ability to combine the professionalism of specific services with the country's historical, architectural, and cultural heritage. And it is riding the most promising wave of the MICE sector, which is the bleisure trend, that sees the conference tourist with or without his companion, enjoy not only meetings but also leisure activities that are often high-spending.
Italy is 2nd in Europe and 3rd in the world for MICE events
Italian MICE was high on the ranking of the world’s 9,042 international meetings in 2022; in second place in Europe with 522 meetings and third in the world ranking behind the USA (690) and Spain (528). Among the cities, Rome came out top with 79 meetings and Milan with 66. (source: Enit Studies Office based on ICCA data). ENIT is committed to the development of the MICE segment with sector and luxury workshops like the Espacio Maldonado in the heart of Madrid which was attended by over 100 buyers and 35 sellers from all over Italy.
Italy at Hand will attract 200 Italian buyers and sellers
ENIT will also be present at IBTM in Barcelona from 28 to 30 November with over 80 Italian partners, of which participation has been confirmed by Alto Adige, Campania, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, Veneto, Rome Capital and Yes Milano. Over 200 sellers and buyers will come together thanks to ENIT and Convention Bureau Italia at Italy at Hand, the benchmark event of MICE and Made in Italy that sees Italian cities take turns as business travel capitals. With four days of networking, interaction between highly qualified buyers and the best operators of MICE, this unique event with its B2B meetings, workshops, shows and entertainment, stems from an ambitious idea: to become the leading connecting tool between Italian business tourism and international users.
The MICE sector is expected to return to its pre-Covid levels in 2026
In 2021 Italy recorded a total 86,438 events in presence or hybrid format with a growth of +23.7% over 2020, totalling 4,585,433 participants (+14.7% over 2020). The average duration of events was 1.34 days, in line with 2020 (1.36). 52.5% of congress and event venues are located in the North, 25.5% in the Centre, 13.9% in the South and 8.1% on the islands. International business travel expenditure in Italy in 2021 was approximately €4.3 billion (+50.8% over 2020) and was higher than holiday expenditure (+16.8%). Some 10.8 million international travellers chose Italy for work/business in 2021 (+18.2% on 2020) for a total of some 33 million nights (+16.7%). (Source: Ufficio Studi on Bank of Italy data). In the first 6 months of 2022 foreign arrivals to Italy for business purposes spent almost €3 billion (Source: Ufficio Studi on Bank of Italy data - provisional 2022). The MICE sector is expected to return to its pre-Covid levels in 2026.
“Effective networking experiences are crucial for success”
"In the future the success of face-to-face meetings will have to be based on the quality of the content and the contribution the destination can make to achieving the objectives of the event, the combination of virtual elements, the provision of an effective networking experience, and sustainability. There is a need to focus on the intellectual value that the destination can offer to meetings with public-private interactions. Effective networking experiences by the organiser will be crucial for the success and ROI of the in-person meeting,” says ENIT president and CEO Ivana Jelinic.
There is a demand for outdoors areas and flexible spaces
“If we analyse the available data- continues Jelenic, - we realise that there is a growing interest in factors such as reputation, the accessibility of venues, environmental factors, climate, extra-conference opportunities, the quality and safety standards of accommodation facilities, and that people are turning to facilities with fewer rooms and a more homely kind of hospitality. This is also true for facilities with outdoor areas and flexible space, attention to sustainability and food and wine, and for those with advanced technological equipment.”
