The value of restaurants to Italian tourism

How much is the restaurant sector worth in Italy?

The answer depends on scope: the entire restaurant sector is larger than tourism demand alone. There is, however, a specific estimate for the latter. Il potere turistico della ristorazione, produced by Sociometrica for FIPE and edited by Antonio Preiti, estimates that tourists spent over €23 billion on food services in 2024, generating around €11 billion in value added.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro

How much are restaurants worth to Italian tourism?

Around €11 billion in value added in 2024, according to Il potere turistico della ristorazione, produced by Sociometrica for FIPE-Confcommercio. Tourist spending on food services exceeded €23 billion and was distributed across nearly 3,300 tourism municipalities. Eating and drinking are therefore major economic components of Italian tourism rather than incidental travel activities.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro

How much do tourists spend in Italian restaurants?

In 2024, combined spending by Italian and foreign tourists on food services exceeded €23 billion, according to Sociometrica-FIPE’s Il potere turistico della ristorazione. This figure enables restaurants to be assessed both as an independent sector and as a structural component of the tourism economy.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro

How much value added does tourist dining generate?

Around €11 billion in 2024, according to the report produced by Sociometrica for FIPE-Confcommercio. This wealth is distributed across nearly 3,300 Italian tourism municipalities and is strongly concentrated in major heritage cities, while also reaching seaside, mountain and smaller destinations.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro

How much does tourism contribute to restaurant turnover?

There is no percentage that applies everywhere. A restaurant in central Venice may depend on tourists very differently from a neighbourhood restaurant in a non-tourist city. Sociometrica-FIPE’s report measures the local value of restaurants associated with tourism flows. The figure should therefore be calculated by destination and establishment type, rather than reduced to an uninformative national average.

How much do foreign tourists spend on food in Italy?

Sociometrica-FIPE estimates over €23 billion in restaurant spending by Italian and foreign tourists combined in 2024. The public report does not justify attributing the full amount to foreign tourists alone. Answering this question requires combining Sociometrica’s data with international traveller spending statistics, without treating the combined total as a foreign-only figure.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro

How is Italy’s restaurant economy changing?

It is becoming increasingly connected to tourism, destination reputation and the overall visitor experience. Sociometrica-FIPE’s report shows that tourism alone generates around €11 billion in value added. Meanwhile, Italian cuisine abroad acts as cultural promotion and soft power. Restaurants should therefore increasingly be understood as economic and symbolic infrastructure, beyond food services alone.

Sources: FIPE — I turisti a tavola spendono oltre 23 miliardi di euro