One in two Italians (50%) decided to spend mid-August away from home by traveling to reach relatives or friends, go on holiday to the sea, in the countryside and in the mountains or to take a simple trip perhaps with the traditional picnic, despite the concern for bad weather.
This is what emerges from a
Coldiretti / Ix
survey disclosed on the occasion of the black sticker weekend on Italian roads for the departures of the "New Year" of the summer, even if there is 24% of citizens who say they spend it at home to remarry while for another 25% it is a day like any other.
There is a clear preference for national destinations - notes Coldiretti - driven by greater proximity to places of residence, the desire to rediscover the beauties of Italy or the desire to return to places already known.
But - explains Coldiretti - there is also a 23% share of Italians, almost 1 in 4 among those who travel, who have decided to spend a holiday abroad despite fears related to the difficult international situation, costs and inconveniences. in air transport.
If the sea with the heat confirms itself at the top of the ranking of favorite destinations, countryside and natural parks contend with the mountains for second place but - notes Coldiretti - even the cities of art, taken by storm above all by foreigners, recover ground.
An acceleration of tourism in the long weekend of August is also highlighted by a survey by the Centro Studi Turistici of Florence for
Assoturismo Confesercenti
on the saturation of the national online accommodation offer, according to which for the four-night long weekend between 12 and 16 August 91% of the rooms available on the main online platforms were reserved, with peaks of 96% for seaside resorts and 95% of lakes.
An employment rate higher than that recorded in 2019 (86%).