A boost comes from the 'Christmas bonus', 100 euros net for 4.6 million workers with medium-low income. This is what emerges from the survey by the Conflavoro Study Center .
"For Christmas 2024, consumers will spend around 10.5 billion euros on gifts . Among the trends - explains Sandro Susini, director of the Conflavoro Study Center - a growing preference for donating money emerges, chosen by 48% of Italians for reasons of practicality and flexibility. Lunches and dinners will absorb around 2.5 billion euros , with an average family expenditure of 160 euros. New Year's Eve celebrations will represent 55% of total food expenditure, equal to around 1.37 billion euros, with a strong preference for typical and sustainable products. Tourism is also doing well: over 17 million Italians will travel between Christmas and New Year's, mostly staying within our borders, with an average expenditure per family of 1,860 euros".
"Aside from the moment in which we are all seeking a well-deserved moment of serenity, the challenges to support the growth of the country and the productive fabric remain demanding and profound. This is demonstrated by the fact that inflation is pushing many families to look for creative solutions to balance expenses and savings, while maintaining a high level of attention to quality and sustainability. These holidays, however, mark a return to lightheartedness, with a greater propensity to spend on gifts, travel and conviviality, and this is certainly good news for Italian businesses", comments the national president of Conflavoro, Roberto Capobianco , on the data.
The expenses in detail
Gifts
According to the Conflavoro survey, for Christmas gifts in 2024, Italians will choose toys and games (30%), personal care products (20%), technology and electronics (15%), books and stationery (10%), household and design products (10%), experiences such as dinners, cards, activities (8%), clothing and accessories (7%).
Tourism and travel
The travel sector is also showing a positive trend, with an estimated expenditure of 7.5 billion euros compared to 6 in 2023. Over 17 million Italians will travel between Christmas and New Year's Eve, with an average expenditure per family of 1,860 euros: for those who remain in Italy (83%) the per capita expenditure is 560 euros with the favourite destinations being Trentino-Alto Adige, Lazio and Campania in the top positions; for those who choose to go abroad, France, Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom stand out with a per capita expenditure of 990 euros
The average holiday spending varies between 560 euros for those who stay in Italy and 990 euros for those who choose to go abroad. Foreign tourists alone (5.2 million visitors, especially from the USA and the United Kingdom), always considering the period between Christmas and New Year's, will increase by 19.5% compared to 2023 and will spend approximately 3 billion euros in our country.
Spending on the territories, Lombardy in the lead and Calabria at the bottom
Lombardy (21%), Lazio (19%) and Veneto (16%) are the "big spender" regions of these holidays, with Milan, Rome and Venice driving consumption. At the bottom we find Molise, Basilicata and Calabria, each with an overall contribution between 5% and 7%. Italian families will cover the festive expenses mainly with the thirteenth salary (38%) and savings (30%). Financing and installments represent 19%, while the remaining 13% comes from the reduction of non-essential family costs.
