The Destination Wedding and the Future of Italian Tourism: Why Milan’s BIT Matters to All of Us

In these days, Milan stands at the very center of Italian and international tourism.

With the hosting of BIT – the International Tourism Exchange – the Lombard capital welcomes the sector’s leading trade fair, the main forum where institutions, destinations, operators, and stakeholders engage in dialogue on strategies, trends, and development prospects.

BIT represents a privileged observatory on the evolution of the tourism market: it is where flows are analyzed, promotional policies are defined, networks are built, and investments are planned.

Within this context, the role of a sector often underestimated, yet now central to the competitiveness of the Italian system, is emerging with increasing clarity: destination weddings.

Tourism linked to international weddings is no longer a niche segment. It is a structured, high–value-added supply chain, capable of generating extended stays, qualified spending, and long-lasting reputational impact on territories.

Observing this phenomenon during BIT allows us to interpret wedding tourism for what it has become: a strategic instrument for tourism, economic, and territorial development—one that requires vision, expertise, and governance.

This is where this analysis begins.

From Italy’s main forum for tourism dialogue, to understand how international weddings can become one of the most solid drivers of the country’s future.

In discussions about the evolution of Italian tourism, we often refer to deseasonalization, average spending per guest, and integrated territorial supply chains. Destination weddings are among the few tourism products that simultaneously embody all of these strategic priorities.

This is not an emotional segment.

It is a high–multiplier economic product, with an extended and measurable value chain.

In 2024, Italy hosted more than 15,100 weddings of foreign couples, marking an 11.4% increase compared to 2023, with an estimated total value approaching one billion euros.

Moreover, industry research indicates further growth in 2025, with operators forecasting expanding international demand and a potential market value exceeding one billion euros for the current year.

Wedding tourism is not a passing trend: it is a continuously evolving industry that has a profound impact on Italian destinations.

We are speaking of nearly one billion euros in direct value, approximately four million overnight stays, and an average expenditure exceeding €60,000 per event.

These figures qualify wedding tourism as a premium product with high territorial margins.

Economic Structure of the Product

Destination weddings generate:

• Extended average stays (planned multi-night visits)

• Distributed spending across a multi-sector supply chain (coordinated cross-industry impact)

• Permanent reputational effects (continuous digital branding)

These three factors transform international weddings into high-yield temporary economic ecosystems for local territories.

Case Study 1 – Tuscany: A Model of System Maturity

According to various statistics, in 2024 Tuscany recorded:

• Over 2,700 foreign weddings

• €187.3 million in economic impact

• 158,000 arrivals and 465,000 overnight stays

Three elements make this model replicable:

• A coherent and recognizable territorial brand (consolidated international identity)

• A structured ecosystem of venues (organized real estate offering)

• A solid presence of certified professionals (guaranteed operational standards)

This combination reduces operational risk and enhances attractiveness in the premium market.

Case Study 2 – Structural Deseasonalization

Wedding tourism contributes to:

• Temporal distribution of flows (reduced summer concentration)

• Optimization of accommodation capacity (higher occupancy rates)

• Employment stabilization (year-round continuity)

It thus becomes an advanced tool for territorial management.

Case Study 3 – Value Distribution in Secondary Areas

In villages and less-touristic areas, destination weddings activate:

• Local real estate enhancement (restoration of historic residences)

• Activation of micro-enterprises (craftsmanship and services)

• Tourism repositioning (new international appeal)

Weddings become accelerators of local development.

The Strategic Role of the Wedding Planner

In the international context, the wedding planner operates as:

• Territorial project manager (overall system coordination)

• Cross-cultural interface (demand–supply mediation)

• Quality assurance manager (standards control)

• Reputational guarantor (protection of destination image)

I speak today as an Italian wedding planner and as a member of the Italian Wedding Planner Association, committed to promoting professionalism, training, and transparency.

The international market requires structured reliability. It does not tolerate improvisation.

Competitive Benchmarking

Competing countries invest in:

• One-stop offices for events (authorization simplification)

• Standardized procedures (reduced operational uncertainty)

• Coordinated territorial promotion (integrated marketing)

Italy must strengthen its organizational infrastructure.

Operational Proposals

• Formal inclusion of wedding tourism in regional tourism strategies (dedicated institutional planning)

• Coordination among municipalities, DMOs, and professionals (integrated territorial governance)

• Structured recognition of professional skills (official qualification of the supply chain)

These actions transform growth into stable development.

The Role and Commitment of A.I.W.P.

The Italian Wedding Planner Association (AIWP), the only trade association recognized by MIMIT, plays a proactive role in developing and qualifying the wedding and destination wedding sector in Italy. AIWP has:

• Introduced recognized professional standards.The UNI 11954 and UNI 11955 technical standards, developed with the Association’s contribution, define requirements, competencies, and certification procedures for wedding planners and destination wedding planners in Italy, with the aim of enhancing quality, transparency, and professionalism.

• Established a national register of certified professionals.The AIWP National Register protects consumers and businesses by ensuring the presence of qualified professionals, combating improvisation, and guaranteeing continuous training and adherence to a shared ethical code.

• Promoted continuous certified training.AIWP guides professional development through structured training pathways, strengthening competencies and embedding standards of operational excellence throughout the Italian wedding tourism system.

• Supported the inclusion of the profession in the Tourism Code.AIWP has engaged institutions and stakeholders to formally recognize the role of the wedding planner within the national tourism framework, enabling institutional synergies, access to development tools, and supply chain protection.

This commitment is not merely technical or regulatory. It is strategic. It ensures that destination weddings are not left to improvisation, but become an integral part of national tourism governance.

Conclusion

Contemporary tourism is built on:

• High-narrative-intensity experiences (memory and storytelling)

• Lasting emotional relationships (international loyalty)

• Global digital reputation (permanent promotion)

A wedding in Italy is not merely a private event. It is an investment in the country’s positioning.

Destination weddings are a strategic lever for competitive, sustainable, and qualified tourism development.

Governing them means transforming global desire for Italy into structured value for Italy.

And this requires systems, expertise, and shared vision.