Naples, Italy’s third most visited city: over 14 million presences and an increasingly promising future
Naples confirms its position as the third most visited city in Italy, with over 14 million presences recorded in 2024, marking an extraordinary path that demonstrates continuous growth in the tourism sector. The Neapolitan city is experiencing a period of great flourishing, thanks to an increasingly broad and diversified cultural, experiential and infrastructural offer. With a strong growth in tourist numbers, Naples continues to attract visitors from all over the world.
Naples, a destination for international tourism: investments and future goals
The city administration of Naples aims to consolidate and further strengthen the local tourism system, aiming to make the city even more attractive, safe, and liveable. As Councillor for Tourism and Productive Activities Teresa Armato stated during the BMT in March, the goal is to ‘meet the needs of a diverse and international public’.
With the arrival of the Jubilee, Naples is preparing to welcome as many as 4 million pilgrims and surpass last year’s record of 14.5 million admissions. This steady growth trend heralds an extraordinary year for tourism in the Neapolitan city.
Naples, a destination for luxury tourism
A key aspect of Naples’ tourism strategy is the focus on the luxury market. The city is investing significantly to intercept this new segment of travellers, offering customised stays, exclusive experiences such as private tours, food and wine itineraries, and ad hoc guided visits to the city’s iconic sites. These include the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN), the Royal Palace, the Sansevero Chapel, Naples Underground, and many others.
In parallel, the large high-end hotel groups are enhancing their offer in key areas of Naples, such as Chiaia and Piazza Municipio, to attract an international and refined public.
Events and celebrations: Napoli 2500 and the Jubilee
Another strength of Naples is its range of cultural and entertainment events, which is enriched with new initiatives every year. The celebrations for the 2500th anniversary of the founding of Naples are in full swing and have already seen the incredible success of Eduardo De Filippo’s ‘Napoli Milionaria’ at the San Carlo Theatre, which sold out. In addition to the many scheduled events, there are also the Jubilee celebrations, which have already begun with the project ‘Women of faith, charity and hope. Percorsi giubilari nei conventi e monasteri di Napoli’ (Jubilee itineraries in the convents and monasteries of Naples), until 21 December: 8 itineraries of discovery through the history and spirituality of the city, including guided tours and musical moments.
The DMO: deseasonalisation and diversification of flows
To support this continuous evolution of tourism in Naples, the Destination Management Organisation (DMO), set up in June, is working on strategies to deseasonalise and diversify tourist flows. The objective is to optimise the relationship between supply and demand by creating permanent product catalogues that attract visitors with specific interests.
Among the main segments identified by the DMO are MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), luxury, destination weddings, and music, going beyond the traditional vision of Naples as a city of art.
Naples projects itself into the future
Naples continues to surprise, not only for its millennial history and artistic marvels, but also for its ability to renew itself as a tourist destination. Thanks to investments in infrastructure, events, and high quality services, the city is preparing to become an increasingly popular destination for tourists from all over the world, with an increasingly diversified and innovative offer.