2025 has been another significant year for tourism in Puglia. Last week, at BIT Milano — Italy’s leading international travel trade fair held annually in Milan — Puglia’s regional tourism agency, PugliaPromozione, presented its latest report, Il Turismo in Puglia nel 2026, outlining tourism performance based on 2025 visitor statistics.
The region welcomed approximately 6.7 million visitors, generating around 22.7 million overnight stays. That represents growth of nearly 13 percent in arrivals and just over 10 percent in overnight stays compared with 2024.
The most striking shift is international demand. Foreign arrivals rose by more than 25 percent year-on-year, with international overnight stays increasing by over 22 percent. Domestic tourism also grew, but more modestly.
In short, Puglia is no longer simply Italy’s favourite summer escape. It is firmly established as an international destination — and evolving quickly.
Yet behind the headline figures lies a more interesting story about how people visit, when they come, where they stay, and why certain destinations dominate the rankings.
Puglia is still (mainly) defined by the Italian summer
Despite international growth, Puglia remains Italy’s leading domestic staycation region. In August alone, almost 900,000 Italians travelled here. Many stayed not for two or three nights, but for two to four weeks.
Rodi Garganico, Porto Cesareo and Ugento may not dominate international travel media or social platforms, but they are deeply embedded in Italy’s summer culture. Families return annually. Children grow up on the same beaches. The accommodation stock is structured around longer stays. They are built around extended summer holidays. Families rent apartments, villas or stay in resort complexes. Their strength is not international visibility or short-break popularity — it is duration.
Ugento records one of the longest average stays in the Top 20, often exceeding seven nights. Its coastal area — including Torre San Giovanni, Torre Mozza and Lido Marini — feels intense in July and August, and much quieter outside summer.
During peak season, these destinations generate enormous volumes of presenze precisely because visitors remain for long stretches, demonstrating that domestic summer tourism still carries enormous weight.
Pilgrimage tourism | Gargano’s second engine
Beach tourism is only part of Gargano’s story.
San Giovanni Rotondo, home to the tomb of Padre Pio, is one of Europe’s most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites. Visitors travel year-round — often in organised groups — to visit the shrine and attend religious services.
They may stay only one or two nights, but the steady flow across all seasons generates substantial volume. This pilgrimage tourism operates independently of beach holidays and lifestyle travel, yet it carries significant statistical weight in the rankings.
It explains why San Giovanni Rotondo consistently appears in the Top 20, despite not being a coastal resort or Instagram destination.
The season is shifting — slightly
For all the talk of growth and internationalisation, summer still reigns in Puglia. July and August remain the beating heart of the tourism calendar, accounting for roughly 32 percent of annual arrivals and nearly 40 percent of overnight stays. Walk through any coastal town in those months and the intensity is unmistakable. Beaches are full. Restaurants spill into piazzas. The region hums with staycation holiday energy.
And yet, something subtle is changing. In 2025 growth was spread across the shoulder season. Spring, in particular, has surged. April and May recorded increases of more than 23 percent in arrivals and nearly 29 percent in overnight stays compared with 2024.
Even summer’s growth, while positive at around 10 percent, was more moderate than the shoulder months. April to June and September now account for approximately 46 percent of total arrivals. Nearly half the year’s visitors are arriving outside the two peak months.
Winter remains quieter in absolute terms, but even here the baseline is rising. Bari’s city-break appeal, cultural tourism in Lecce and a steady stream of international short-stay visitors are gradually smoothing the curve. The Valle d’Itria’s — particularly Locorotondo’s — appeal as a Christmas destination, not for unimaginatively realised Christmas markets, but for its Christmas light displays, is being noticed!
Where people stay
Accommodation type
Just as the season is shifting, so too is the way visitors choose to stay.
Hotels continue to perform well, with arrivals up 7.3 percent and overnight stays rising 5.8 percent. Luxury and boutique openings across the region have strengthened Puglia’s high-end profile, particularly among international travellers. Five-star and upscale properties in cities and heritage destinations recorded double-digit growth in foreign arrivals.
But the most dramatic expansion has occurred elsewhere. Non-hotel accommodation grew by nearly 14 percent in arrivals. Short-term rentals surged by almost 28 percent in arrivals and nearly 25 percent in overnight stays. That figure is striking — especially at a time when pipeline luxury developments tend to dominate headlines.
While luxury hotels shape perception, diversified independent accommodation is shaping the numbers.
Destination | Puglia’s Top 20 most visited in 2025
For those who know Puglia through glossy travel features, social media reels or the usual “most beautiful towns” round-ups, the official rankings may come as a surprise. There is no Martina Franca. No Locorotondo. Polignano a Mare doesn’t make the Top 10, but Carovigno almost does. Alberobello — one of the busiest-feeling destinations in the region — sits in 16th place.
Meanwhile, Melendugno and Ugento rank highly, even though many international visitors may struggle to place them on a map.
Here are the official Top 20 most visited municipalities in 2025, listing arrivals and ranked by overnight stays (based on official overnight stay data recorded through the regional DMS system).
| Rank | Destination | Arrivi (Arrivals) | Presenze (Overnight Stays) | Avg Stay (Nights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bari | 1,070,324 | 2,207,824 | 2.06 |
| 2 | Vieste | 376,640 | 2,177,658 | 5.78 |
| 3 | Lecce | 420,635 | 1,101,355 | 2.62 |
| 4 | Ugento | 143,909 | 1,020,268 | 7.09 |
| 5 | Gallipoli | 194,931 | 868,124 | 4.45 |
| 6 | Monopoli | 285,347 | 864,822 | 3.03 |
| 7 | Fasano | 227,561 | 824,229 | 3.62 |
| 8 | Otranto | 194,876 | 806,137 | 4.13 |
| 9 | Ostuni | 248,484 | 780,739 | 3.14 |
| 10 | Porto Cesareo | 130,468 | 708,024 | 5.43 |
| 11 | Carovigno | 116,993 | 645,342 | 5.51 |
| 12 | Melendugno | 113,333 | 639,698 | 5.64 |
| 13 | Peschici | 82,049 | 565,533 | 6.89 |
| 14 | Polignano a Mare | 201,878 | 530,481 | 2.63 |
| 15 | San Giovanni Rotondo | 279,576 | 489,499 | 1.75 |
| 16 | Alberobello | 230,661 | 386,965 | 1.68 |
| 17 | Nardò | 69,097 | 372,150 | 5.39 |
| 18 | Rodi Garganico | 57,744 | 356,419 | 6.17 |
| 19 | Taranto | 126,110 | 335,849 | 2.66 |
| 20 | Castellaneta | 60,684 | 327,841 | 5.40 |
Arrivi = number of tourist arrivals
Presenze = number of overnight stays
Monopoli and Polignano | a quiet reversal
A decade ago, Polignano a Mare felt like the headline act of central Puglia. Dramatic cliffs, the iconic Lama Monachile beach, global imagery — it was widely seen as the busier and more popular sibling to nearby Monopoli.
But something has shifted. While not falling off a cliff — Polignano still attracts enormous day-trip traffic, particularly cruise passengers from Bari and organised tours, and its visibility remains strong — many of those visitors do not stay overnight.
Monopoli, meanwhile, has quietly grown into a genuine overnight powerhouse. As a base, its central position appeals strongly to international visitors planning multi-stop itineraries.
Polignano still dominates visually. But Monopoli increasingly dominates functionally.
Monopoli and Gallipoli | a tale of two coasts
The comparison between Monopoli and Gallipoli reveals something subtle about how different travellers experience Puglia.
Gallipoli, on the Ionian coast, delivers an immediately recognisable summer atmosphere. Long sandy beaches stretch along turquoise water. The historic old town sits on its island, wrapped in sea on all sides. In peak season it is vibrant, energetic and unapologetically Italian. It feels like a holiday in motion.
And yet, Monopoli continues to attract strong international demand, even though its city beaches are mostly compact rocky inlets rather than sweeping stretches of sand — welcoming almost 100,000 more visitors than Gallipoli, albeit for shorter average stays.
Part of that preference is practical. Monopoli sits in central Puglia, closer to Bari airport and within easy reach of the Valle d’Itria. For travellers planning multi-stop itineraries, that geography matters. Gallipoli, further south in Salento, requires more travel time and may be perceived as requiring a greater commitment to one part of the region.
Perception plays a powerful role. Over the past decade, the Bari–Polignano–Monopoli corridor has received extensive international coverage. It appears regularly in travel features, guidebooks and social media feeds. That repetition builds familiarity and confidence, especially for first-time visitors.
Monopoli also aligns closely with the image many international travellers hold of “Puglia”: whitewashed streets, small coves, fishing boats, proximity to trulli and countryside masserie. It feels balanced — coastal, but also connected inland.
Gallipoli remains an exceptional seaside base, particularly for those seeking long sandy beaches and a strong summer rhythm. But Monopoli often feels more versatile and geographically central.
Both destinations work beautifully. They simply serve different travel styles.
Alberobello | when the rankings don’t match the feeling
Tourism statistics can sometimes feel counterintuitive — especially when they collide with lived experience.
Take Alberobello. In peak season, its trulli-lined streets can feel saturated. The narrow lanes fill quickly. Coaches arrive in steady succession. The visual density is undeniable, and for many visitors it feels like one of the busiest places in the region.
Alberobello receives enormous volumes of day visitors, particularly organised coach tours and cruise passengers arriving via Bari. Many wander the historic quarters for a few hours before continuing their journey elsewhere in Puglia. They contribute to footfall, to photographs, to the sense of crowding — but not to overnight stay figures.
Taranto | what the numbers don’t tell
The statistics tell us where people sleep. They don’t always tell us what a place feels like.
Taranto is a perfect example. It does not headline the Top 10. It does not dominate beach tourism. It is not propelled by pilgrimage flows like parts of Gargano. Yet year after year, it climbs quietly. The growth is steady, incremental — almost understated.
Taranto is the Puglia destination we always recommend visiting. The borgo antico remains raw and lived-in. Laundry hangs across narrow streets. Doors stand open. Conversations spill onto stone steps. It feels intensely, unapologetically southern Italian — an antidote to the curated prettiness and organised footfall of places like Alberobello.
Yes, the industrial skyline across the water is stark. The presence of the steelworks is impossible to ignore. But that tension is part of Taranto’s character. It is a city that has never been polished for visitors. It has endured, adapted and persisted.
For us, the old town is unmissable. It is gritty, layered and authentic — like stepping back sixty years in time. The rhythms are slower. The edges are rougher. The experience feels real.
And change is coming. Artists and cultural initiatives are pushing the city’s boundaries. Restoration projects are beginning to take shape. Investment is slowly following curiosity. You can feel reinvention stirring beneath the surface — visible, but not yet complete.
Taranto feels transitional — poised between authenticity and renewal. Its growth may be quieter than that of the coastal hotspots, but it is meaningful.
