In 2022, Italy’s most beautiful villages attracted approximately 8.8 million visitors, generating more than 21.5 million overnight stays and contributing over $13.8 billion to the Italian economy. The study “The economic and employment impact of tourism and digitalization in the most beautiful villages in Italy” by Deloitte revealed that these villages are a significant tourist-cultural attraction, bringing in around $4.6 billion in direct spending and an additional $9 billion in indirect and induced spending, totaling $13.8 billion generated in Italy. This accounts for approximately 5 billion euros of GDP, which is 0.3% of Italian GDP.
These villages supported over 90,000 employed people in 2022, with accommodation, catering, commerce, and transport being the most impacted sectors, benefiting from around 60% of the total impact. There are currently 362 villages certified by the Association “The most beautiful villages in Italy,” which are spread throughout the country. Marche, Umbria, and Tuscany have the highest number of villages within each region. The economic impact of tourism varies across regions; however, Trentino-Alto Adige is one of the top contributors to GDP along with Liguria and Lombardy.
Despite their economic and social impact, many of these villages are experiencing depopulation at a much higher rate than the average Italian municipality. The average population in these villages is roughly half that of Italian municipalities as a whole due to a reduction in resident population over the past decade. However, ultra-broadband coverage has been increasing rapidly in these areas; currently around 63.9% have “Fiber to the Home” coverage up from just 2.2% in 2019 due to this increase there has been an increase in workers opting for smart-working following Covid-19 pandemic
