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Tourism / Transport

Tourism

With 48.6 million tourists a year (2014), Italy is the fifth most visited country in international tourism arrivals. People mainly visit Italy for its rich art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, and priceless ancient monuments. Italy also contains more World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world.

Tourism is one of Italy's fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, with an estimated revenue of €189.1 billion.

Most visitors arriving in Italy in 2014 were citizens of the following countries:

Rank Country Number
1 Germany 10,531,441
2 United States 4,732,116
3 France 3,902,742
4 United Kingdom 3,108,283
5 Switzerland 2,402,444
6 China 2,297,699
7 Austria 2,212,556
8 Netherlands 1,914,225
9 Russia 1,785,000
10 Spain 1,712,441
11 Japan 1,309,943
12 Belgium 1,118,179
13 Poland 1,104,871
14 Australia 866,552
15 Brazil 762,845

Apart from Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, and Florence are the top destinations for tourism in Italy. Other major tourist locations include Turin, Salerno, Bari, Padua, Bologna, Messina, Perugia, Palermo, Genoa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Salento. Two factors in each of these locations are history and geography. The Roman Empire, middle ages, and renaissance have left many cultural artifacts for the Italian tourist industry to use. Many northern cities are also able to use the Alps as an attraction for winter sports, while coastal southern cities have the Mediterranean Sea to draw tourists looking for sun.

Italy is home to fifty UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, including many entire cities such as Verona, Siena, Vicenza, Ferrara, San Gimignano, Urbino, Matera, Pompei, Noto and Siracusa. Ravenna hosts an unprecedented eight different internationally recognized sites.

Transport of Italy

In 2004 the transport sector in Italy generated a turnover of about 119.4 billion euros, employing 935,700 persons in 153,700 enterprises. Regarding the national road network, in 2002 there were 668,721 km (415,524 mi) of serviceable roads in Italy, including 6,487 km (4,031 mi) of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by Atlantia. In 2005, about 34,667,000 passenger cars (590 cars per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the national road network.

The national railway network, state-owned and operated by Ferrovie dello Stato, in 2008 totalled 16,529 km (10,271 mi) of which 11,727 km (7,287 mi) is electrified, and on which 4,802 locomotives and railcars run.

The national inland waterways network comprised 1,477 km (918 mi) of navigable rivers and channels in 2002. In 2004 there were approximately 30 main airports (including the two hubs of Malpensa International in Milan and Leonardo da Vinci International in Rome) and 43 major seaports (including the seaport of Genoa, the country's largest and second largest in the Mediterranean Sea). In 2005 Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships.

VISA

Depending on the purpose of your travel to Italy, there are different types of visas that will apply to the occassion. Whether you are planning to go on a visit, study or work and reside there permanently, you will have to apply for a different Italy Schengen Visa, accordingly.

You can apply for an Italian Schengen Visa since October 1997 when Italy as a Member State of the European Union also became a member state of the Schengen Area.

San Marino and the Vatican City – two European microstates/city-states located within Italy – are considered part of the Schengen Area although they did not officially sign the particular documents of the agreement. Besides, no border control is performed for the Schengen countries surrounding them!

Stat: As per 2014, Italy has issued a total of 2,062,501 uniform Schengen visas.

Stat: As per 2015, Italy has issued a total of 1,898,065 uniform Schengen visas from 2,023,343 visa application received. The Visa rejection rate was 5.5%.

General required documents for Italy Visa Application:

  • Download the Italy Visa application form, fill it completely and with sincerity. You can also fill the Italy Visa application form electronically and then print a hard-copy,
  • 2 photos must be attached; the photo should be of passport format – a recent whole-face capture with a light background. Learn more about photo requirements and specifications for an Italian Visa.
  • Your passport and copies of your previous visas – valid for at least 3 months beyond return date – are required. Your passport must have at least two blank pages,
  • A copy of your return-ticket reservation. It is not recommended to purchase the ticket before obtaining the visa – if not otherwise required,
  • Travel medical insurance confirmation of minimum 30,000 € coverage within Italy and the entire Schengen area,
  • A cover letter stating the purpose of visit to Italy and itinerary,
  • Flight ticket reservation (if applicable),
  • Proof of civil status (marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card if applicable).
  • Proof of accommodation for your entire stay in Italy.
  • Means of subsistence – Proof of sufficient financial means for the period of stay. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, the following are the required amounts of means of subsistence needed to be attested by a foreigner, at the moment applying for an Italian Visa to an Italian Embassy or Consulate:
    • For stays up to 5 days: The overall amount is 269.60€ /person and 212.81 /two and more persons.
    • For stays 6-10 days: The daily amount is 44.93€ /person and 26.33€ /two and more persons.
    • For stays 11-20 days: The overall amount is 51.64€/person and 25.82€/ two and more persons, plus the daily amount is 36.67€/person and 22.21€/ two and more persons.
    • For stays over 20 days: The overall amount is 206.58€/person and 118.79€/ two and more persons, plus the daily amount is 27.89€/person and 17,04/ two and more persons.

If employed:

  • Employment contract
  • Current bank statement of the latest 6 months
  • Leave permission from employer
  • Income Tax Return (ITR) form or Certificate of Income Tax deducted at the source of salary

If self-employed:

  • A copy of your business license
  • Company bank statement of the latest 6 months
  • Income Tax Return (ITR)

If a student:

  • Proof of enrollment
  • No-objection certificate from school or university

If retired:

  • Pension statement of the latest 6 months

If applicable:

  • Regular income generated by property proof of the latest 6 months

*Note: The signed application form must be accompanied the rest of the above-mentioned mandatory documents and handed personally at the appropriate embassy/consulate or its representative in your home country.

Apart from the general documentation required, accompanying should be other additional documents depending on the purpose of your Italy Visa application.

Additional documents required for the most frequent purposes of Italy Visa Application:

Italy Tourist Schengen Visa additional requirements:

  • Invitation letter with the address and phone number from family member or sponsor in Italy – if applicable,
  • Bank statement of the last 6 months,
  • Passport copies.

Italy Visa for Business Purposes:

  • Invitation letter from the Italian company you will be visiting and their detailed address in Italy accompanied with the dates of your visit,
  • A certificate from your employer stating/allowing your business travel,
  • If there were previous trade relations between the two companies, proof of such events must be provided,
  • Business bank statement of the latest 6 months,
  • Memorandum and Article of Association in original certified copy (registered with joint stock companies) Trade License (first issued and present renewal), Proprietorship/Partnership documents,
  • Regarding the applicant’s expenses during stay in the Schengen zone, either the employer or the partner company must state coverage of expenses on the letter or invitation.

Italy Visa for Medical Purposes:

  • A local medical report,
  • A medical attestation from the hospital or doctor in Italy, confirming the date of your appointment as well as your medical situation,
  • Payment receipt of medical fees.

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy