The boom of foreign tourists: record numbers in 2025
Foreign tourism in Genoa is experiencing extraordinary growth. Data from the Liguria Region shows that in June 2025, foreign visitors recorded an increase of +12.19% compared to the same month in 2024, while arrivals from abroad grew by +9.06%. This is a trend that is consolidating on an annual basis and positioning the Ligurian capital among the most appreciated destinations by international visitors.
Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Foreign visitor numbers have recorded an even more marked increase compared to Italian tourists”
— Luca Lombardi, Tourism Councillor, Liguria Region
But who are these tourists who increasingly choose Genoa as a destination? Data on the origin of foreign tourists shows Germans, French and Swiss ranking in the top three positions, with an impressive +33% from Germany. This figure confirms the traditional appeal of the Central European market, which finds in Genoa an easily accessible destination with abundant tourist opportunities.
Foreign clientele shows growth in tourist flows compared to 2023 of 0.9% in terms of arrivals and 6.8% in terms of stays at the national level, while foreign tourism has marked increases both in arrivals (+1.4%) and in stays (+4.3%).
Length of stay and behavior patterns
A particularly interesting aspect concerns the length of stay. The average duration in accommodation facilities remained substantially stable at 2.82 nights, with a slight preference for foreign tourists (3.13 nights) compared to Italian ones (2.50 nights). This data indicates that international visitors tend to plan longer stays, probably to offset travel costs and to fully enjoy the Genoa experience.
In particular, 56.5% of foreign tourists stay for 1 to 3 nights, a pattern that perfectly adapts to the needs of urban tourism and the characteristics of Genoa’s accommodation offer. This preference for short but intensive stays is also reflected in the choice of accommodation types.
Foreign tourists generated 56.5% of total overnight stays, recording an increase of 5.1% year-on-year, while in non-hotel facilities both Italian (+3.2%) and foreign (+9.0%) stays increased. This trend towards short-term rentals and alternative accommodation solutions represents a significant opportunity for property owners.
The geography of foreign tourism in Genoa
Analyzing in more detail the origin of international visitors, an articulated picture emerges. Tourists from Germany, USA, France and the United Kingdom are at the top for number of stays. According to Istat data, tourists from Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the Netherlands follow. These first six nationalities represent 57.4% of total foreign stays.
But the market is not limited to Europe. Tourism from the United States and other non-European countries such as Canada remains stable, a sign that Genoa is also conquering long-haul markets, traditionally more difficult to penetrate for a medium-sized destination.
The geographic distribution also reflects accessibility strategies: European markets benefit from geographic proximity and direct connections, while non-European ones are attracted by the uniqueness of the cultural offering and Genoa’s inclusion in broader tours of the Italian territory.
“In 2024, Liguria ranked third in Italy for tourist arrivals in relation to regional size with 5.2 million arrivals”
— Luca Lombardi, Tourism Councillor, Liguria Region
Average spending and economic impact of foreign tourism
The analysis of economic impact reveals significant figures. Foreign tourists spend, on average, approximately €26.0 more than Italians. For tourists using unofficial accommodation, average daily spending per person is approximately €85.0, while for those staying in official facilities, spending is higher (almost €118.0).
This spending difference translates into a significant economic impact for the territory. In the first 7 months of 2025, Italy recorded 268.4 million stays (+5.7% vs 2024), with foreign spending in the first half at €24.9 billion and tourism balance at +€9.2 billion.
Locally, the increase in foreign stays is also reflected in municipal revenues. In 2024, the collection of tourist tax in Genoa rose from €5.1 million to €7.3 million, an increase of 44% compared to the previous year, a figure that testifies to the intensification of international tourist flows.
Short-term rentals: the opportunity for property owners
The growing interest of foreign tourists in Genoa has generated a real boom in short-term rentals. In 2023, there are 785,552 overnight stays in Genoa in apartments for tourist use, 39.3% more than in 2022 and 77.5% more than in 2019.
Image generated with AI (Google Gemini)
In Liguria today, furnished apartments for tourist use (so-called Aaut) registered on the regional portal number 36,062, with 163,773 beds. The province of Savona has 11,161, followed by Genoa (10,522 apartments, 48,513 beds).
This trend represents a concrete opportunity for property owners. Short-term rentals are no longer just an income source, but have become the “business card” of the territory: many buyers today discover villages and coves by staying in vacation homes, then decide to invest permanently. The “second home” remains the dream of excellence for neighbors from Lombardy and Piedmont, but there is a strong return of Italians residing abroad.
Post-Covid recovery: a consolidated success
The success of foreign tourism in Genoa must be framed within the context of post-pandemic recovery. Over 600,000 more overnight stays were recorded in 2023 compared to 2019, representing a 29% increase compared to the pre-Covid period. The foreign component grew by 16% in one year for overnight stays in hotel facilities and by 13% for the total overnight stays in the city.
The boom of arrivals from the United States and England recorded +270% and +323% of presences compared to the previous year. The foreigners who prefer to spend their holidays in Genoa are the Germans: from Germany, in fact, 297,497 arrived in 2022; followed by the French, 260,448 (52% more than 2021).
The recovery was not only numerical, but also qualitative. 2023 is marked by strong recovery of the foreign component, which in terms of presences has returned to represent more than half of tourism demand (52.4% of the total).
Future prospects and implications for the real estate market
The prospects for foreign tourism in Genoa appear solid and growing. The short-term rental market in Italy confirms its solidity, with an increase in tourism and business demand in many cities. According to ISTAT and ENIT data, in 2024 the flow of foreign tourists grew by +7.2% compared to 2023, and over 30% of bookings were made through short-term rental platforms.
The average gross profitability of rental homes rises to 9.8% in Q2 2025 (it was 9.3% a year earlier). Residential gross yield is 9.5–9.8% between Q1 and Q2 2025, data that make investment in the short-term rental sector particularly attractive.
For property owners in Genoa, these data represent a concrete opportunity to increase the value of their real estate assets. The constant growth of foreign tourism, combined with the preference for apartment stays and the higher average spending of international visitors, creates ideal conditions for a profitable investment in the tourism rental sector.
The challenge for the future will be maintaining this positive trend, focusing on the quality of the offer and the professionalization of the sector, key elements to consolidate Genoa’s position in the international tourism landscape.
Processing of public data and sources. genovabb.it is not a news publication. The data reported have been collected from sources believed to be reliable but their accuracy is not guaranteed.
