Outdoor Tourism Observatory 2026
Outdoor Tourism Observatory 2026: a European perspective
The sixth edition of the Observatory takes a defining step: it moves beyond national borders to read outdoor tourism as a European phenomenon.
A shift that reflects the structural nature of the sector - one capable of generating economic, social and cultural value on a continental scale. An in-depth analysis of 2025 and a forward-looking perspective on 2026, offering industry professionals broader and more informed tools for understanding the market.
“Outdoor tourism possesses a quality that no other sector can claim with equal conviction: the ability to bring people together, to build communities that are temporary yet genuinely authentic, and to give back value to the places from which it draws.”
Domenico Montano, Group General Manager - Human Company
Outdoor Tourism Observatory 2026
European outdoor tourism enters a new phase
"With 413 million stays in 2025 - 11.5% of total tourism demand in Europe - the outdoor sector has moved past its post-pandemic rebound and entered a phase of structural maturity. Italy confirms its position as the second-largest European market, with 68 million stays and an international share exceeding 55%.
A sector that is holding its ground on high volumes even amid geopolitical complexity - and one that, in 2026, is expected to generate a direct economic impact of €5.12 billion in Italy alone, rising to €13.3 billion when indirect territorial effects are included."
Key figures – Europe 2025
3088,4 mln
Overnight stays of all accommodations in Europe in 2025, +2.2% on 2024
413,2 mln
Overnight stays of outdoor accommodations in Europe in 2025
153,8 mln
Outdoor overnight stays in France in 2025, the leading European country for outdoor overnight stays
85 %
The share of outdoor tourism demand attributed to the top-5 main European countries (France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Croatia) and Italy in 2025, for a total of 351.31 million overnight stays
2 °
Italy’s position in the European ranking for outdoor overnight stays
Key figures – Italy 2025
68,09 mln
Outdoor overnight in Italy in 2025. Change compared with 2019: +1.9%; compared with 2024: -0.6%
68,36 mln
Forecast for outdoor overnight stays in Italy for 2026
+13,1 %
Increase in outdooor overnight stays by foreign visitors in 2025 (37.49 million, 55.2% of the total) compared to 2019. This contrasts with a -9.2% decline in Italian visitor numbers between 2025 and 2019
59,9 %
The share of visitors to northern Italy in 2025 (+0.6% compared with 2024)
46 %
The share of outdoor demand accounted by the regions of North-East Italy (Friuli, Veneto, Trentino, Alto Adige and Emilia-Romagna) in 2025
Methodology
Data sources
Which sources were consulted and compiled
Istat
Italy data relating to the outdoor sector. The data refers to NACE codes 55.2.1 and 55.3
Eurostat
Outdoor data for European countries. In this case, the outdoor figures refer solely to NACE code 55.3
Foreign markets statistics office
Outdoor tourism insights for European countries
Italian regions statistics offices
Provisional figures for outdoor attendance in 2025 from the regions that shared the data