Tourism in Abruzzo


Tourism in Abruzzo has become one of the most prosperous sectors in the economy of Abruzzo, and in recent years has seen a remarkable growth attracting numerous tourists from Italy and Europe. According to statistics, in 2021 arrivals totaled 1,330,887. A total of 5,197,765 arrivals were tourists, a figure that puts the region seventeenth among the Italian regions for numbers of tourists per year. A moderate support to tourism is also given to the Abruzzo Airport with many low cost and charter flights connecting the entire region with the rest of Europe.
Abruzzo tourism can basically be divided into three different types: mountain tourism hiking natural which includes numerous ski resorts, nature reserves and protected areas, beach tourism and coastal with the number of resort, hotel, camping and beaches, and finally the art-historical tourism religious and cultural concentrated mostly in mountain villages and historic towns such as l'Aquila, Vasto, Chieti, Teramo, Sulmona and many others.
In January 2016 the online newspaper HuffingtonPost.com has included Abruzzo in its "The World's 12 Best Place to Live or Retire in 2016", writing:
"It's hard to think of a lovelier corner of Italy than the Abruzzo. The beaches are golden, and the sea rolls out like a giant bolt of turquoise silk. There are mountains, too, meaning that, living here, you'd have both skiing and beach-combing on your doorstep, depending on the season. This region is one of Italy's secret treasures"
In 2022 also American travel magazine Travel + Leisure include Abruzzo in 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022 and also others many prestigious foreign magazines in the tourism sector have produced publications on the region in recent years, underlining its great tourist appeal.
In 2023, arrivals were 1.745.373 tourists.
WWW visitabruzzo.co.uk

Mountain and ecotourism tourism

The region currently has 23 active ski resort. They are located in the town of Scanno, Ovindoli, Pescasseroli, Roccaraso, Campo Imperatore, Campo Felice, Rivisondoli, Pescocostanzo and Pianoro Campitelli where winter tourism is highly developed and then you can play sports such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ski touring, cross-country skiing and dog sledding. Other trails and facilities are in Passolanciano-Majelletta, Campo Rotondo, Campo di Giove, Piani di pezza, Voltigno, Centomonti, Macchiarvana, Monte Piselli.
Abruzzo is called Europe's greenest region and boasts the presence of three national parks and 38 protected areas between oasis, regional reserves and state reserves. The parks allow tourists hiking and nature activities, leisure activities and holidays such as excursions to the park, horse riding, hiking, cycling, hiking, birdwatching, and canoeing, rafting, windsurfing, boating on Lake of Bomba, Lake of Scanno and Campotosto, in addition to the natural parks of Abruzzo boasts numerous protected areas.

UNESCO site

In 2017, the ancient beech forests of the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park of Europe were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with the region thus gaining its first prestigious site.

Coastal and Beach tourism

The coast in Abruzzo extends for 129 kilometers, is nationally known as a tourist bathing resorts Montesilvano, Pineto, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Giulianova, Alba Adriatica, Tortoreto, Francavilla al Mare, Ortona, Vasto, Martinsicuro, Silvi Marina, and finally the Trabocchi Coast is not only famous for the sea but also for the ancient fishing machines Abruzzo still visible and can be visited by tourists along the coast, many of these centers, tourist resorts have the privilege and prestige of being appointed Blue Flag beach for water quality and services. With regard to this type of tourism are many activities that you can do: sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing, canoeing, fishing, boating, fishing and underwater photography, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, golf, mountain biking, cycling, motorcycle racing, motocross and off-road, kayaking.

Art-historical and religious tourism

As for the art-historical and religious tourism cultural, historical and cultural importance are the city of Chieti with Roman ruins, churches, museums, Vasto, Lanciano, Manoppello, Ortona, Atri, Giulianova, Sulmona, l'Aquila,, St. Gabriel's shrine with average of 2 million visitors per year is one of the 15 most visited sanctuaries in the world and others small villages with many monuments, museums, castles and churches of national importance; even though a city Pescara modern, has basilicas, shrines, churches and important museums.
In the interior mountains are ancient villages included, among other things on the list of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, castles, hermitages, sanctuaries Basilica santuario del Volto Santo di Manoppello, Monastero di Santa Maria in Valle Rotana Convents, abbeys, and old churches.

Food and wine tourism

The food and wine sector has also been re-evaluated in recent years, with a varied cuisine, which preserves ancient features of the ancient pastoral and mountain and sea recipes, and today offers food and wine products of excellence, among which the Saffron of l'Aquila, the Liquorice of Atri, the Confetti di Sulmona, the Mortadella di Campotosto, the prestigious wine Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and many others.

Places of interest

Parks and protected areas

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Ski resort

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Beaches

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Lakes

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Historic cities

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The most beautiful villages in Italy

Abruzzo has many small and picturesque villages, 26 of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia, a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.

Shrines

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Museums

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Castles

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Abbeys and Monasteries

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Hermitages

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Archaeological sites

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Annual statistics

YearTourist arrivalsChange
20211,330,887
20201,069,867
20191,643,166
20181,643,111
20171,548,653
20161,526,452
20151,522,087
20141,391,957
20131,500,010
20121,579,436
20111,580,971
20101,485,147
20091,341,525
20081,636,498
20071,560,806
20061,578,587
20051,503,432
20041.425.563
20031.428.019
20021.346.414
20011.320.146
20001.273.797

YearTourist overnight staysChange
20215,197,765
20204,012,792
20196,176,702
20186,335,122
20176,193,473
20166,119,103
20156,177,230
20146,282,824
20136,909,216
20127,254,977
20117,423,774
20107,307,229
20096,659,108
20087,560,546
20077,374,645
20067,452,113
20056,987,992
20046,933,452
20037,120,250
20026,864,349
20016,675,864
20006,287,888