Tourism on the rise but restaurants and accommodations are closing: in Puglia almost a third of accommodation facilities have disappeared

Apulia is attracting more and more tourists, but it is unable to retain its businesses. This is the paradox that emerges from the data processed by Confesercenti and published by La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno : between 2019 and 2024 , 30.9% of Apulian accommodation facilities closed their doors, compared to a national average of 26.6%. A worrying figure, especially in light of a constantly growing tourist presence.

Restaurants in crisis despite demand

The snapshot taken by the Confesercenti study shows how, in the same period, 42% of restaurants in Puglia ceased trading. A higher percentage than that of Basilicata (39.3%) but slightly below the national average (43.1%). Among the regions that recorded the most significant losses, Trentino-Alto Adige leads the ranking with a 55.5% drop, followed by Tuscany and Emilia Romagna with around 50%.

In Puglia, however, the data is particularly jarring because it is part of a context of a tourism boom. An apparent contradiction, as Giancarlo De Venuto , president of Assoturismo Confesercenti Puglia, explains: “We cannot speak of a decline, but of a transformation of tourism”.

Tourism in Transformation and Seasonal Changes

According to De Venuto, climate change and new travel habits are reshaping the dynamics of tourism in Puglia. “Overtourism doesn’t concern us,” he emphasizes, “because summer, the real summer, is becoming shorter and shorter. International flows are moving between April and June, and between September and October.”

An opportunity, according to him, to extend the season and differentiate the offer. "Compared to Lazio and Veneto we have enormous margins for growth: Puglia records 20 million presences against 52 in Lazio and 71 in Veneto", observes De Venuto. "We are almost a quarter compared to Veneto, and almost a third compared to Lazio".

Growing foreign clientele, but changing needs

Even in the restaurant industry, there is a profound change. The habits of Italians, conditioned by the economic crisis, are changing, while foreign customers are growing but with different tastes. “Fewer Italians go to restaurants, while foreigners – explains De Venuto – consume fewer dishes but drink more. It is a model that does not boost the turnover of traditional restaurants, but fuels luxury activities that integrate catering and entertainment”.

In the meantime, many local businesses are forced to reinvent themselves: “Every three years a restaurant changes its skin,” says De Venuto, “unless it focuses on an authentic gastronomic experience tied to the territory.”

Youth Enterprises Down, But With a Margin of Hope

The Confesercenti study also highlights another trend: the average age of entrepreneurs in the sector is getting older , while young businesses are decreasing. In Puglia, the average age has risen to 49.8 years, in Basilicata to 51.4, in line with the national figure of 51.3.

In the five-year period , 3,026 youth-run businesses in Puglia were closed , compared to just 322 non-youthful businesses. In Basilicata, the balance is more balanced: 416 youth-run businesses closed compared to 401 non-youthful businesses. And yet, the wealth of businesses under 35 remains significant: in 2024, there were 10,605 in Puglia and 1,143 in Basilicata , out of a national total of over 120,000.

A small treasure of resilience and innovation that represents a human capital on which the institutions will have to focus. “The tourist success of the Mezzogiorno – we read in the study – will also depend on the ability of the two regions to concretely support young energies ”.

A task that can no longer be postponed, so as not to miss an opportunity that, at least in terms of tourist numbers, seems already within our grasp.

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