Italy’s Tourism Under Threat: The Fallout from the October 2026 Unrest

On the evening of October 17, 2026, crowds of young people gathered in Piazza del Duomo, near Milan Cathedral, to protest the rising cost of living. According to The Guardian, the initially peaceful demonstration quickly turned violent: hooded youths set fire to trash bins, ransacked shops and smashed windows, including in the area around the city’s cathedral. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the aggressive groups.

According to police, 271 people were detained during the unrest in Milan, 32 of whom were arrested, including 23 minors and 13 foreign nationals. As Express.co.uk notes, around 80% of those detained were minors. In addition to Milan, unrest also affected other cities in northern Italy, including Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin.

The events in Italy demonstrated how vulnerable tourism infrastructure can be, even in a city that is not the country’s main political epicenter.

First, tourist attractions suffered direct physical damage. According to L'Unione Sarda, protective shutters were lowered at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and across much of the city center amid fears of further attacks. Major fashion brands, including Prada, Dior, Chanel and Hermès, closed their boutiques. The Guardian also reports that many luxury stores in Milan’s fashion district remained closed, while Chanel, Tiffany and Dior removed merchandise from their windows as a precaution.

Second, tourists’ safety was put at risk. Reports circulated on social media that smoke bombs had been thrown into rooftop bars and that shops had closed. British tourists caught up in the events said they had “never felt less safe” and rushed to leave on the first flight home.

The Italian government responded immediately. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held an emergency security meeting and decided to deploy 500 military personnel to Milan to help police maintain order. According to The Guardian, the government also announced new security measures, including penalties for taking part in demonstrations involving violence, tougher punishments for rioters, and financial liability for parents whose children engage in vandalism and looting. Express.co.uk adds that officials are considering measures that would allow police to detain minors for up to 12 hours when there is evidence of a threat, even if they have not committed an offense.

For Italy, whose tourism industry posted record figures in 2025, the October events were a serious test. According to the Bank of Italy’s official report, the country’s tourism balance surplus reached €22.7 billion in 2025, equivalent to 1% of GDP. Spending by foreign travelers in Italy rose by 4.6% (3.1% in real terms), with visitors who came for the Jubilee Year accounting for nearly two-thirds of that increase. According to figures published in Italian business media, total spending by foreign tourists in 2025 amounted to around €56–57 billion.

The main risks to Italian tourism following the October unrest are concentrated in several areas:

Reputational damage to Milan as a tourist destination. If Paris was affected as the “City of Light,” Milan was hit in its role as the capital of fashion and shopping. Images of boutiques looted in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and on Via Montenapoleone strike at precisely the image that attracts the city’s most affluent visitors. Marco Barbieri, secretary-general of Confcommercio Milano, told L'Unione Sarda that the damage caused by the unrest had increased, but that the main problem was “the loss of revenue for businesses that had to close, and the cancellations that are starting to come in, especially from foreign visitors.”

Psychological impact and effects on related sectors. The unrest affected not only hotels and shops, but the entire hospitality ecosystem—restaurants, cafés, bars and tour operators. Witnesses described how the protest “turned into rioting in the heart of the city,” prompting businesses to close and bookings to be canceled.

It is important to note that the October unrest occurred against an already challenging backdrop. Even before the events, analysts had pointed out that Italy’s tourism industry was grappling with excessive pressure on historic centers and the need for structural change. The concentration of tourists in cities such as Milan, Rome and Venice puts pressure on infrastructure and local communities. Protests against the rising cost of living that escalated into unrest partly reflect social tensions, including those associated with the imbalances created by mass tourism.

Italy’s case differs fundamentally from France’s not in scale, but in the structure of its vulnerabilities. In France, the protests became nationwide and prolonged, calling into question the image of the entire country as a tourist destination. In Italy, the unrest was concentrated in Milan and several northern cities, and the government’s response was tougher and faster. However, Italy’s tourism model has its own Achilles’ heel: Milan’s outsized dependence on luxury shopping and the high sensitivity of long-haul markets to any signs of instability.

The speed of recovery will depend not only on how quickly the government can prevent further outbreaks of violence, but also on whether the tourism industry—together with city authorities and brands—can convince the world that Milan remains a safe and desirable fashion capital. Italy’s particular challenge is that the goal is not simply to “bring tourists back” in general, but to preserve its position at the top end of the global tourism market, where the cost of a reputational misstep is especially high.

Author: Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of World Economy and International Finance, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Darya Yuryevna Rozhkova.