According to the annual published data of the Federal State Statistics Service, Italy was visited:
2014 year - 994 000 Russian tourists
2015 year - 662 000 Russian tourists
2016 year - 709 813 Russian tourists
2017 year - 893 000 Russian tourists
According to the national institute of statistics Istat, in 2016 Russia was the supplier of tourists with the highest average length of stay in Italy among non-European countries (3.7 days), and the fifth by spending per person (€ 167 against € 113 - the average amount for all foreigners). In comparison with 2015, the expenditure of the Russian tourists increased by 2.5%.
Also, according to the National Tourism Agency of Italy, the spending of the Russians in the country has increased significantly. Only in the first half of 2017 it amounted 457 million Euros, which exceeded by 15.1% the figure of the previous period in 2016. Also, the expenses of Russians visiting Italy with business purposes increased by 33.8%.
As for the preferences of Russian tourists, beach vacation is the leading kind of the rest (40%), 30% is city tours, 14% - winter skiing. According to Dorina Bianchi, the Deputy tourism Minister of Italy, in 2017-2018 in promotion strategy of the country on the Russian market the accent will be made on small historical centers, ethnogastronomic and medical tourism, golf and other tourist products, as well as event tours.
Italy is traditionally popular among Russians, as a country with a rich history, cultural and historical heritage of the world level. The most visited regions are Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Lazio and Tuscany.
Many Russians in one trip visit two or more Italian regions, combining sightseeing with beach rest, business and shopping activity. Almost everyone tries to visit Rome for at least a couple of days. In 2016 about 700 thousand tourists from Russia visited the capital, which is about 3% more than in 2015.
The tendency of growth also registered in many other regions: about 50 thousand Russians visited Piemonte, 120 thousand - Tuscany, 19 thousand - Sardinia (where the Russian tourists spend, on average, the most time - 6.5 days).
The Consul General of Italy in Moscow Piergabriel Papadia noted that the country is doing everything to facilitate the process of obtaining visas for Russians. According to him, in 2016 96% of all entry documents for the Russians were multiple for a period from one to five years. General Consulates of Italy in Moscow and St. Petersburg in January 2017 registered an increase of the number of issued visas by 73% against the same period in 2016.
National Tourism Agency of Italy has its representative office in Moscow), which promotes Italy as a tourist destination on the Russian market.
