The new Italian family: fewer cradles, more leashes. And what about tourism?

Italy is currently experiencing an unprecedented demographic and market paradox: while the birth rate continues to decline, the domestic animal population is growing steadily, redefining family structures and, with them, travel habits. This speech directly compares the two main target audiences of Italian affective tourism through the lens of sociology and tourism economics: on one hand, pets — dogs and cats above all — which have effectively become new subjects of tourism, with their own needs, budgets and expectations; on the other hand, families with children, a historically dominant segment in the Italian hospitality offering, yet never truly measured in its real economic dimension, until now. This generates a series of implications for industry operators: how to reposition the offering, which services to develop, and above all how to interpret this change not as a passing trend, but as the reflection of a structural transformation in the way Italians conceive of family, travel and leisure time.

This speech is not a provocation. It is a compass. Because Italy is no longer having children, yet is filling up with animals. And when it travels, it brings along those it loves, whether they have four paws or two feet. Two targets, two markets, two missed opportunities or two great ones — for those who are able to read them together. The future of Italian tourism is played out right here: in the capacity to understand who the family truly is today, how much its travel is worth, and how much we are leaving on the table by not having fully grasped this yet.

Preview of the 'Osservatorio Italiano Dog Tourism'

The Observatory was established through a collaboration between JFC and Club del Sole to monitor dog tourism in Italy; behaviours and propensity to travel with dogs, needs, barriers and missing services. The Osservatorio Italiano Dog Tourism estimates the economic value — current and potential — of the phenomenon, outlines the ranking of dog-friendly Italian and international destinations, illustrates prospects and provides indicators for destinations, DMOs and companies within the tourism supply chain.