The hope is that summer 2025 can mark a relaunch of tourist presences for Calabria. A first encouraging sign comes from the hiring forecasts: according to Unioncamere data – Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, Excelsior information system, processed by the MPI Confartigianato Calabria Observatory, in the three months of June, July and August companies with employees of accommodation, catering and tourist activities provide for an increase in the work demand of 15.8% compared to implementation 2024, equal to about 2,400 additional entrances.
The analysis of Istat data on the customer movement in receptive exercises shows that from June to September 2024 the appearances in Calabria touched 7 million, equal to 85% of the total annual. A datum in slight decrease (-2.2%) compared to summer 2023, in contrast with the national trend (+1.3%). The Italian component (-3.2%) engraved negatively, while the foreign one marked a positive signal: 17.2%of the total presences were recorded by tourists mostly from Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, with a growth of +3.1%. The Calabrian municipalities that welcomed the largest number of foreign visitors have been Ricadi, Tropea, Pizzo, Villapiana and Parghelia.
A further encouraging indicator comes from the Banca d’Italia data: in 2024 the expenditure of foreign tourists in Calabria reached 248 million euros, 45% concentrated in the months of July-September.
Tourism represents a pillar for the regional economy and its relaunch has a direct impact also on crafts. In Calabria, at the end of 2024, there were 5,886 artisan companies operating in the sectors related to tourist demand, equal to 18.5% of total crafts (3rd place at national level), with 13,652 employees.
Coming to the provincial analysis:
Catanzaro: 841 artisan companies in the tourist sectors (14.1% of the total crafts), with 2,147 employees. Agro -food (34.1%), restaurants and pizzerias (11.8%) and bars/pastry shops (12.2%) prevail.
Cosenza: 1,919 companies (17.7%), 4,545 employees. Main sectors: agri -food (36.8%), other manufacturing and services activities (21.8%), catering (15.8%).
Crotone: 524 companies (18.8%), 1,116 employees. Strong presence of agri -food (34.5%) and catering (16.4%).
Vibo Valentia: 481 companies (18.6%), 1,297 employees. Almost half concentrated in the agri -food (42.6%), followed by catering and transportation (9.8% each).
Reggio Calabria: 2,121 companies (21.8%), 4,547 employees. Training sectors: agri -food (32.6%), catering (25.4%) and bar (14.1%).
The driving sectors of tourist craftsmanship
Agro -food: 2,070 companies (35.2%), the heart of the regional food and wine offer.
Other manufacturing activities and services: 1,191 companies (20.2%), including artistic processes, jewelry, ceramic, photography and personal services.
Catering and bars: 1,805 companies (30.7%), including restaurants, pizzerias, bars, coffee and pastry shops.
Clothing and footwear: 546 companies (9.3%).
People transport: 232 companies (3.9%).
“Tourism is one of the pillars of Calabria’s internal demand – underlines the regional president of Confartigianato Imprese, Salvatore Ascioti – and its relaunch is essential to counteract the uncertainties related to foreign demand and international tensions. Crafts and tourism are highly interconnected sectors and together they can represent an engine of growth and sustainable development for the entire region”.