Milan-Cortina 2026: +160% of travelers expected, boom in Americans

Predictions say it will be a success. From the point of view of sporting results, one hopes. But also from the influx of enthusiasts and travellers. Less than one hundred days before the start of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, new research shows a growing interest in the event. In fact, the data collected by Visa on tickets purchased and flight bookings by credit card holders allows us to estimate a 160% increase in travelers arriving from abroad to Northern Italy, compared to the same period in 2025. We are talking about February (the Games will take place from the 6th to the 22nd) and most likely these are tourists who have chosen to associate the visit to the places with the possibility of attending the Olympic competitions. At the top of the attendance by nationality are the United States, followed by Great Britain and Canada (together they make up 20% of the total), followed in order by Finland, the Netherlands, France and Germany. The 18-fold growth on an annual basis in the Netherlands stands out (the closest is Canada with a 12x), but the figure can also be explained by the high number of Dutch enthusiasts for long track skating.

Linate taken by assault

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The passenger boom will mainly concern the Milanese airports, with a +450% for Linate and a +190% for Malpensa, but the increases are also considerable for the other northern airports: Verona (+120%), Bergamo (+80%), Venice (+75%) and Treviso (+40%). Data “higher than expected, which confirms the global attractiveness of the Olympics” comments Stefano Stoppani, country manager of Visa Italia. Numbers that partly overlap with those of ticket purchases, where after Italy the US market still dominates, here however joined by Germany and both over 20%, while among credit card holders the highest average expenditure is by Australians (2,600 euros): a record evidently justified by the higher cost of the longest flight route. The positive sign of these first data combines with the results of a second analysis commissioned from Ipsos, this time on the sentiment of Italians towards the Games. Even if a realistic assessment of the impact of the Olympics on the national economy will only be possible in late spring, says Andrea Venier, the CEO of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. Nine out of 10 of the inhabitants of the territories where they will take place expect positive effects from the Olympics, while 63% believe that the benefits can be extended over time.

digitize the country

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“These data confirm our impressions – says Venier – There were 132 thousand applications to become volunteers, many were young people who also saw it as an opportunity for growth, while more than 50% of the tickets were purchased by people under 40”. Finally, among the research data, there is also that 65% of interviewees who see a stimulus for technological innovation. “The objective is to digitalize the country” continues Stoppani. To name one: those who follow the races will be able to equip themselves with a bracelet with a chip inside, just swipe it to pay and also to access the sky passes.