Tourism in Abruzzo has become one of the most prosperous sectors in the economy of Abruzzo, and in recent years has seen a remarkable growth attracting numerous tourists from Italy and Europe.[1] According to statistics, in 2021 arrivals totaled 1,330,887.[2] A total of 5,197,765 arrivals were tourists,[3] a figure that puts the region seventeenth among the Italian regions for numbers of tourists per year. A moderate support to tourism is also given to the Abruzzo Airport with many low cost and charter flights connecting the entire region with the rest of Europe.[4]
Abruzzo tourism can basically be divided into three different types: mountain tourism[5] hiking natural which includes numerous ski resorts, nature reserves and protected areas, beach tourism and coastal with the number of resort, hotel, camping and beaches,[6] and finally the art-historical tourism religious and cultural concentrated mostly in mountain villages and historic towns such as l'Aquila, Vasto, Chieti, Teramo, Sulmona and many others.[7]
In January 2016 the online newspaper HuffingtonPost.com has included Abruzzo in its "The World's 12 Best Place to Live or Retire in 2016",[8] writing:
"It's hard to think of a lovelier corner of Italy than the Abruzzo. The beaches are golden, and the sea rolls out like a giant bolt of turquoise silk. There are mountains, too, meaning that, living here, you'd have both skiing and beach-combing on your doorstep, depending on the season. This region is one of Italy's secret treasures"
In 2022 also american travel magazine Travel + Leisure include Abruzzo in 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022.[9]
In 2017, the ancient beech forests of the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park of Europe were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with the region thus gaining its first prestigious site.[43]
Abruzzo has many small and picturesque villages, 26 of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful Villages of Italy),[86] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,[87] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.[88]
Basilica of San BernardinoMajella National Park WinterMarina di Vasto and the Golfo di Vasto in the Adriatic Sea, seen from Vasto.Lake Barrea and Mount Marsicano.Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National ParkCascata delle Barche
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