A greater number of Italians will be taking their holidays in Italy this year because of the economic downturn and this should prove to be a boon for domestic tourism, a new study said on Monday.
Drawn up by Trademark Italia, an agency which has been monitoring vacation trends for the past 18 years, the study found that the recession will not keep Italians from going on holiday this year, but many intend to take fewer and shorter breaks and a growing number of these will be decided on at the last moment.
Based on polls taken from March 25 to April 9, Trademark Italia said that public employees, retirees and young people this year will shy away from more exotic foreign locations in favor of more convenient and cheaper domestic seaside vacation spots.
The most popular coasts were said to be those in the regions of Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Marche, which those interviewed viewed as less expensive than seaside resorts along the west coast and in southern Italy.
In fact, compared to last year there has been a significant drop in the number of Italians planning to spend their beach holidays along the coasts of Tuscany, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily.
Campania and its islands appeared to have gained back some popularity, although below the peak hit before last year's plunge, while Sardinia and the northwest coastal region of Liguria appear to have lost some of their attraction.
In general, Trademark Italian concluded that this year Italians would prefer to spend an extra week in Italy at the sea or lake rather than to go abroad.
