Tourism: sector grows but Italy lags

Tourism is still growing in spite of the global crisis, and Italy must do more to retain market share, according to a study published in the latest issue of Economic Review magazine, which was presented today. Tourism makes up 5.4% of Italian GDP, not far off Spain (6.4%) and France (6.2%). It also contributes 82.8 billion euros in added value, or 6%, to the national economy. With 46.1 million visitors, Italy ranks 5th among the top 10 tourist destinations, after France in first place and Spain in fourth, according to the study.