Italy has surpassed France in terms of overnight stays in the country of foreigners, national tourist board ENIT said Thursday. "In terms of overnight stays by foreign nationals, Italy with 216.5 million in 2018 surpassed France with 140.7 million (a 5.4% rise on the previous year) and saw a 2.8% rise, unlike Spain, which with 301 million dropped by 1.6%," it noted.

Spain nonetheless remained the top-ranked country for overnight stays by foreign nationals in 2018, ENIT chief Giorgio Palmucci said in presenting the board's three-year plan in the presence of Tourism Minister Gian Marco Centinaio. "Tourism is a sector with almost 429 million total overnights stays and almost 41.7 billion in spending by foreigners in Italy in 2018. And it finally is getting the attention it deserves because the vision and approach of the tourism industry has changed," he added.