Italy’s coastline presents a stark picture: beaches bustle only on Sundays, remaining largely deserted throughout the week. This trend signals the severe economic pressures facing Italian families and a widespread decline in tourism, including foreign visitors, according to industry association Assobalneari Italia – Federturismo Confindustria.
Assobalneari President Fabrizio Licordari, citing shared estimates from sector operators, reports the 2025 summer season is experiencing a 20% to 30% contraction compared to previous years, measured by both visitor numbers and spending. Services like bars, restaurants, and equipment rentals face significant downturns, with consumption minimized. Sundays attract only fleeting “hit-and-run” tourism, insufficient to sustain the sector financially.
“The phenomenon stems from a critical economic condition,” stated Licordari. “Soaring living costs – bills, rent, fuel, mortgages, groceries – directly erode household purchasing power. Even dual-income families struggle to make ends meet. Naturally, discretionary spending on leisure and vacations is the first cut. Foreign tourism, particularly European, is also slowing due to international instability, ongoing conflicts, trade tensions, and economic uncertainty reducing travel demand.”
The impact extends beyond beach clubs to the entire coastal economy, where tourism is a primary income source. Fewer tourists mean less work for bars, restaurants, shops, hotels, local suppliers, and seasonal businesses, undermining the economic sustainability of coastal communities.
Acknowledging the crisis, Assobalneari advised its members at the season’s start to avoid price hikes, implementing only minimal adjustments to support struggling families. “Italy offers beach establishments for all income levels, from essential services to fully-equipped facilities,” the association noted.
Licordari concluded by urging the government to persist in “defending the Italian beach sector from attacks by Brussels technocrats who illegitimately seek to put concessions up for tender, ignoring the history, social value, and economic model of family businesses operating our coasts for generations.” Assobalneari renewed its appeal to national institutions to reject “any attempt to dismantle the sector,” recognizing its centrality to Italy’s identity and economy.
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