Tourism in Florence Still Below Pre-Covid Levels

Florence and its province continue to lag behind the rest of Tuscany in tourism numbers. According to new data from the Florence Chamber of Commerce, the total number of overnight stays in the first half of 2025 remains 13.3% below pre-pandemic levels, despite expectations for a slight improvement by the end of the year compared to 2024.

The decline is largely driven by the domestic market, which shows a sharp 38.4% drop in Italian visitors compared to 2019, while international tourism has nearly recovered, down only 1.4%.

“We still haven’t reached the targets we had in mind — we expected to reach about 16 million overnight stays this year, but we will probably close around 13 million,” said Massimo Manetti, president of the Florence Chamber of Commerce, speaking at the presentation of BTO 2025 – Be Travel Onlife, the digital tourism event taking place November 11–12 at Stazione Leopolda.

Manetti emphasized the importance of rethinking tourism strategies: “Now more than ever we need an event like BTO, which helps us look at tourism differently and understand how to interpret future trends.”

While Florence struggles to return to pre-Covid levels, Tuscany as a whole continues to perform well, especially in food and wine tourism, a sector whose dedicated report will be unveiled during BTO. Early figures show that Tuscany ranks first among Italian regions in desirability among international travelers for gastronomy and wine experiences, ahead of Sicily and Sardinia.

The region attracts 69% of preferences among French and U.S. tourists, 66% among Austrians and Swiss, 55% among Britons, and 51% among Germans. Tuscany also dominates as Italy’s top wine destination: the Chianti area is the favorite among U.S. (41%), Austrian and Swiss (39%), and German visitors (38%), followed by Mount Etna in Sicily, and other Tuscan wine regions such as Montepulciano, Montalcino, and Bolgheri.

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