The Upper Adriatic passes the Riviera Romagnola and reached number one in the ranking of tourist destinations in Italy. Growth prospects especially in spring and autumn.
Record numbers those of the Alto Adriatico that, in 2022, recorded a total of 27.1 million tourist presences against the 26.5 of the Riviera Romagnola. It is the analysis of Think Tank Nord Est Foundation that determines that. And already in 2021, after the pandemic, the Upper Adriatic had surpassed the beaches of Emilia by almost a million tourists. To pull the numbers are the seven towns of Cavallino, Jesolo, Eraclea, Caorle, Bibione, Lignano and Grado.
According to the Foundation’s study, the coasts of Veneto and Friuli excel in the ranking of tourist flows in the summer season with two million more overnight stays than Emilia Romagna. Five locations in the first six places are in the Upper Adriatic: Cavallino (6.4 million visitors from May to September 2022) and Bibione (5.3 million) overtake Rimini, followed by Jesolo (4.8 million), Caorle (4.2 million) and Lignano (3.4 million).
On the other hand, another challenge is still open. The ranking that measures tourist flows in the other months of the year is in fact more favorable to the Romagna Riviera, with Rimini, Riccione and Cesenatico among the top three places followed by Jesolo and Cavallino.
For this reason, the growth margins and investments in the Upper Adriatic are mainly concentrated in spring and autumn. «The goal – explains Antonio Ferrarelli, president of the Think Tank North East Foundation and the Eastern Venice Tourist District – is to keep the accommodation facilities open for at least 8 months a year, from March to October, focusing on cultural and sporting events, as well as on the promotion of the hinterland and slow tourism – adds Ferrarelli – intercepting new targets of tourists, relying on reasons related to culture, wellness, food and wine and cycling. ».
However, this is a significant performance, especially considering the number of tourist destinations and the length of the coast. The Upper Adriatic, in fact, has 7 destinations (from south to north: Cavallino, Jesolo, Eraclea, Caorle, Bibione, Lignano and Grado) against the 10 of the Romagna Riviera (from north to south: Comacchio, the beaches of Ravenna, Cervia, Cesenatico, the beaches of Forlì, Bellaria-Igea Marina, Rimini, Riccione, Misano and Cattolica). In addition, the length of the coast of the Upper Adriatic is 113 km against the total 140 km of the Riviera Romagnola.
For the first time since the beginning of the 2000s, the Riviera Romagnola is no longer first in the ranking. Also, according to data from the Think Tank North East Foundation, in 2004 it counted about 2.4 million more overnight stays than the Upper Adriatic, a record maintained until 2020.
