According to an NPR article, tourism in Italy has dropped 25% from last year and is expected to get worse. They quote the director of a major Italin tourism association as saying that the dwindling number of American tourists is what's really killing them--down from 2.5 million in 2006, to 1.75 million last year, and falling even more now. They note that Americans are known as the biggest spenders and "more gastronomically adventurous than Europeans and Japanese." The American custom of tipping also gets a mention. About 150,000 people in jobs dependant on tourism have lost their jobs.

Maybe they will appreciate us now.

In 50 years of travels all over Italy I've never felt the
least bit unappreciated.

I have never felt unappreciated in Italy either. Quite the opposite actually. But I knew tourism is down due to the economy not just in the US but throughout the world. It was the same right after 911. Italy has gotten very expensive so perhaps prices will drop? I don't know but that is what some of my Italian friends there think. I also know that my Italians friends do wish that visitors would tip per the Italian custom rather then the US custom but that could again start a whole new thread. Wish I could go to Italy again this year but I will be giving my money to my dentist who loves to visit Italy, sigh.

Would you mind telling us what the "Italian custom" is with regard to tipping. I've been going to Italy for 30 years and have never heard of anything other than the generic European custom of paying the tips as part of the bill, then leaving something extra if the service was superb.

Well--we went to Italy twice last year and numerous times in past years. We obviously do not feel unappreciated.

There are still many places and things in Italia that we have still on our lists (to do, or to do again), and we will continue to do our part to raise those tourist numbers!

Byrd

Hello Wayne, I assume that you are asking me. You are correct as to how you tip and when you do but many American's do not know the custom and consequently leave a tip as they would in the US. Consequently some waiters in cities where American's visit started to expect tips per the US custom.

By far the majority of visitors to Italy are German.
Last time I was there, I noticed an increasing number of people from Eastern Europe.
Oddly enough, there were very few Asians around.
Perhaps the Italian Tourist Board should advertise in China, Japan and India.

The Italian custom in tipping is not to do it except in very nice restuarants, and even then the custom is to leave a small amount in coins, usually to just round up the bill to the next highest number.

I'm not sure that Josser is correct that Germans outnumber Brits visiting Italy. It's not surprising that so few Asians visit Italy. The language barriers are formidable, even when Asians speak English. Most Italians, even those fluent in English, speak English with a strong Italian accent. Likewise Asian English speakers.

I have no idea what Connie meant by her remark, but a lot of much older Americans have this ideology that the American empire has been supporting freeloading Europeans, blah blah, who complain when we invade Iraq or torture people and otherwise don't appreciate all the good of America saving the world, etc. Right now, everybody just wishes Americans would hurry up and get their economic house in order. Not only because they miss the tourist bucks.

LoveItaly,

I just found a really nice Italian dentist on the Riviera! And he's cheap! Think about it. Having a root canal is better when you can leave the office, walk a few steps, and have a gelato with a view of the Med.

Italians get plenty of tourists from India but they dont spend more than 4 days there as they are usually part of a tour. They spend their time mostly in Venice (as a daytrip) Florence & Rome.

Switzerland gets a massive number of tourists from India as they do a lot of advertising and film placements etc. People spends a week to 10 days traveling across.

Josser is right, they need to reach out to more people. i was in Italy for a week on my honeymoon before i headed out to Greece. loved it.

Hmmm...maybe I'll wait a month or two before I book the rest of my hotels for our August trip to see if prices go down, especially with the dollar still so weak.

I was not going back to Europs because it was so expensive - then I found 4 roundtrips nonstop with FF miles in August, which used to be impossible, especially booking only 6 months ahead.

It seems hotels in Rome are less than they were when I went 5 years ago in May...maybe this is why? Or maybe because no Europeans go to Rome in August?

A lot of the places in Tuscany are demanding minimum stays though, so I don't think tourism is really hurting.....yet.

Ugh, sorry about the typos, I haven't had coffee yet.

I will NOT be spending $1 in Italy. I've been researching the Amanda Knox persecution and I refuse to spend any money in this a country not to mention exposing myself and my family to the chance we'd get wrapped up in the farce that is Italian justice. There are far too many great countries without the anti-american animosity, theft, etc to be found in Italy. No, Italy can just do without.

I flew the cheapest ever to Italy from the Northeast USA in 2008. Once there, I noticed dramatically lower presence of American tourists in the major Italian cities. Then the prices climbed the highest I have ever seen in 2009 and 2010. That will do it. All I know if that I am not paying >$750/pp to fly to Italy on shoulder season.

sean-- are you applying that criteria for all future overseas vacations? If that is the case, I don't think you will be leaving home....

Sean decided to join fodors and to top a year and a half old thread so he could get on his soap box.

Sean joined Fodor's to post his rant...

Sean, Italy will not miss you or your family.

Sean is wise to keep his family out of Italy if they are planning
murder or mayhem......the rest of us who do not engage in illegal
activities in Italy can travel with impunity. Thanks, Sean.

We just got back from Italy 5 days ago. There were plenty of Americans, lots of Europeans and scads of Asians, especially Chinese and Japanese. The airpost in Rome was wall to wall people and the planes of all of our travel companions were completely full. It didn't appear to me that tourism was suffering in the slightest. Florence and Siena were mad houses. This is our 4th time to Italy this decade and I saw no difference in the crowds.

And, of course, the Italians were wonderful hosts. I'm sure the tourism statistics are correct but it didn't feel as if tourism was suffering.