The number of foreign nationals visiting Italy for tourism or employment reasons is growing, with citizens of Russia, China and Turkey in the lead. The figures from the Statistical Yearbook 2013 show that 1,872,394 were issued in 2012 (up 9% on the previous year). Of these, 47% were issued in non-EU European countries, 29% in Asia, 13% in the Mediterranean and Middle East region, 5% in Africa and 4% in the Americas.
Russian Federation in the lead
In first place was the Russian Federation, with 631,353 visas issued, followed by China (285,885), Turkey (116,567) and India (78,581). 73% of all visas issued were for tourism purposes, 11% for business, 4% for family reasons and 3% for employment and education. The total is expected to rise by 6-700,000 as a result of Expo 2015, bringing over 36 million euros in additional revenue.
