Emerging Travel Group (ETG), the global travel company behind the RateHawk, ZenHotels, and Roundtrip brands, has reported a marked rise in demand for travel to Italy across its platforms. From January to August, overall bookings to Italy grew by 25% year-on-year, with B2B customers – including travel agents and business travellers – driving much of the increase, up by 30%.
Emerging Travel Group caters to a diverse customer base that spans travel professionals (RateHawk), corporate clients (Roundtrip), and individual holidaymakers (ZenHotels). Each segment has revealed distinct booking patterns when planning trips to Italy.
While all traveller groups favoured 3- and 4-star hotels with an average stay of three nights, spending habits and preferred destinations varied between them.
Rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice were the most popular destinations across all visitor groups. Travel agents using the RateHawk platform often booked in coastal areas such as Palermo, Catania, and Sorrento. Independent travellers gravitated towards cultural cities like Verona, Genoa, and Rimini, while corporate travellers prioritised business hubs and booked hotels near airports, particularly in Fiumicino and Somma Lombardo.
Travel agents and corporate clients demonstrated higher average nightly spending, at €220 and €245 respectively, compared to €151 for individual leisure tourists.
Leisure travellers – both through agencies and direct bookings – typically visited during peak periods between May and August, as well as over key holidays like Easter. By contrast, demand within the corporate travel segment remained consistent throughout the January to August period.
Simone Large, Emerging Travel Group’s Head of Direct Supply, said: “Italy is the most booked destination within Emerging Travel Group’s platforms, with growing interest across all tourist segments, especially the B2B segment. To meet this demand, we are actively expanding our portfolio of directly connected hotels in the region, ensuring our clients and partners continue to receive the best possible rates and deals.
“For Italian property owners, working with Emerging Travel Group unlocks access to high-value demand – from 100,000 travel professionals and 20,000 corporate clients to millions of individual travellers. Hoteliers can expand their distribution network and maintain steady occupancy year-round. Additionally, our Italian partners benefit from a localised Extranet in Italian and a dedicated local business team to help maximise their results with ETG.”
Emerging Travel Group will showcase its latest technologies for Italian hoteliers at the TTG Travel Experience 2025 in Rimini from 8–10 October. ETG’s Direct Supply team will be available at Hall A3, Stand 327.
ETG provides access to over 2.9 million accommodation options via direct connections and more than 330 suppliers. Since 2023, the company has accelerated its direct supply strategy; as of August 2025, ETG offers 220,000 directly connected accommodation listings, reflecting a 40% year-on-year increase. In 2024, Emerging Travel Group achieved a gross transaction value of $3.7 billion.
