Siena tourism statistics at a glance
Siena’s tourism pattern in 2024 shows a clear split between steady overall growth and a much weaker extra-hotel segment.
That combination matters because the city is not moving in one simple direction. It is growing in total arrivals and overnight stays, while the accommodation mix shifts sharply inside the market (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Quick take
- Total tourist arrivals in Siena reached 15,265 in January-August 2024, up from 13,792 in January-August 2023, a 10.68% increase (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
- Total overnight stays reached 49,629 in January-August 2024, up from 47,209 in the same period of 2023, a 5.13% increase (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
- Extra-hotel arrivals fell to 12,912 in January-August 2024 from 17,744 a year earlier, a 27.23% decline (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
- Extra-hotel overnight stays fell to 36,445 from 45,948, a 20.68% decline (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
- Italian extra-hotel arrivals were almost flat over the same January-August window, at 4,881 in 2024 versus 4,874 in 2023, a 0.14% rise (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Contents
- Overall demand in 2024
- Monthly arrivals and overnight stays
- Extra-hotel performance
- Italian extra-hotel travel pattern
- What the monthly swings suggest
- Practical reading of the numbers
Overall demand in 2024
The broadest signal in the dataset is positive. Across January-August 2024, Siena recorded 15,265 total tourist arrivals versus 13,792 in January-August 2023, which means the city added 1,473 arrivals year over year (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Overnight stays also increased. The January-August total moved from 47,209 in 2023 to 49,629 in 2024, adding 2,420 stays and growing 5.13% (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
That gap between arrival growth and stay growth is useful. It suggests more people came to Siena, but the average length of stay did not rise at the same pace as visits themselves. In plain terms, the city saw stronger traffic than lodging volume, not a matching surge in nights.
Why the distinction matters
Arrivals capture how many visitors came through. Overnight stays capture how long they remained. When arrivals rise faster than stays, destinations can be getting more short trips, more compressed itineraries, or more fragmented travel patterns. That is the main reading from Siena’s January-August 2024 totals (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Monthly arrivals and overnight stays
The monthly data shows that Siena did not grow in a straight line. Instead, 2024 included a strong spring, a quiet July on arrivals, and a strong August on stays.
| Month | Total arrivals 2024 | Total arrivals 2023 | YoY change | Total overnight stays 2024 | Total overnight stays 2023 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 440 | 415 | +6.02% | 1,079 | 1,107 | -2.53% |
| February | 389 | 324 | +20.06% | 766 | 608 | +25.99% |
| March | 1,316 | 1,022 | +28.77% | 2,919 | 2,145 | +36.08% |
| April | 2,181 | 1,935 | +12.71% | 5,852 | 6,235 | -6.14% |
| May | 2,975 | 2,463 | +20.79% | 8,997 | 8,012 | +12.29% |
| June | 2,756 | 2,426 | +13.60% | 8,655 | 8,248 | +4.93% |
| July | 2,470 | 2,491 | -0.84% | 9,422 | 9,817 | -4.02% |
| August | 2,738 | 2,716 | +0.81% | 11,939 | 11,037 | +8.17% |
Source labels for every figure in the table: Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024.
The strongest months
March stands out as the clearest upside month. Arrivals jumped to 1,316 from 1,022, and overnight stays rose to 2,919 from 2,145 (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). That is the biggest combined monthly improvement in the dataset for both arrivals and stays.
May is another strong point. Arrivals climbed to 2,975 from 2,463, while overnight stays rose to 8,997 from 8,012 (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). June then held that momentum with 2,756 arrivals and 8,655 overnight stays, both above 2023 levels (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
The mixed months
April shows why a single-month read can be misleading. Arrivals rose to 2,181 from 1,935, but overnight stays slipped to 5,852 from 6,235, a 6.14% decline (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). That means more visitors did not automatically translate into more nights.
July is even more striking. Arrivals were nearly flat, down slightly to 2,470 from 2,491, and overnight stays also softened to 9,422 from 9,817 (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). Yet August recovered on stays, reaching 11,939 versus 11,037, even though arrivals barely changed at 2,738 versus 2,716 (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
A compact reading of the seasonal arc
- Late winter and early spring showed rapid percentage growth from a smaller base.
- Spring and early summer delivered the most consistently positive totals.
- Mid-summer arrivals flattened, but overnight stays remained relatively resilient.
- August produced the largest overnight-stay total in the monthly series (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Extra-hotel performance
The biggest structural story in the dataset is the decline in extra-hotel demand. This segment saw far fewer arrivals and overnight stays in 2024 than in 2023 across the January-August period.
January-August comparison
| Extra-hotel metric | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrivals | 12,912 | 17,744 | -27.23% |
| Overnight stays | 36,445 | 45,948 | -20.68% |
Source labels: Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024.
The magnitude of the drop is large enough to matter on its own. Extra-hotel arrivals were down by 4,832, and overnight stays were down by 9,503 year over year in January-August 2024 (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Monthly extra-hotel pattern
The decline was not smooth, but it was persistent. Every month except none showed a year-over-year fall in extra-hotel arrivals and overnight stays across the months listed below.
| Month | Extra-hotel arrivals 2024 | Extra-hotel arrivals 2023 | YoY change | Extra-hotel overnight stays 2024 | Extra-hotel overnight stays 2023 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 918 | 1,398 | -34.33% | 2,076 | 2,671 | -22.28% |
| February | 733 | 1,732 | -57.68% | 1,573 | 2,795 | -43.72% |
| March | 754 | 1,394 | -45.91% | 1,240 | 2,476 | -49.92% |
| April | 2,191 | 2,808 | -21.97% | 4,439 | 5,001 | -11.24% |
| May | 2,290 | 2,417 | -5.25% | 4,332 | 4,483 | -3.37% |
| June | 1,105 | 2,001 | -44.78% | 2,517 | 4,713 | -46.59% |
| July | 2,478 | 3,054 | -18.86% | 9,883 | 12,256 | -19.36% |
| August | 2,443 | 2,940 | -16.90% | 10,385 | 11,553 | -10.11% |
Source labels for every figure in the table: Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024.
What stands out in extra-hotel data
February is the most dramatic month in the series. Arrivals fell from 1,732 to 733, a 57.68% drop, while overnight stays fell from 2,795 to 1,573, down 43.72% (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
March is equally important because it pairs a sharp arrivals fall with a very sharp stays decline. Arrivals dropped by 45.91%, and overnight stays fell by 49.92% (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
July and August are not as extreme, but they matter because those months usually carry more weight in tourism seasonality. Even there, extra-hotel arrivals and stays remained below the prior year (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Italian extra-hotel travel pattern
The Italian extra-hotel subcategory tells a different story from the overall extra-hotel market. It is less volatile and, in some months, even slightly positive on arrivals. That makes it a useful contrast point inside the Siena tourism data.
January-August totals
Italian extra-hotel arrivals came in at 4,881 in January-August 2024, compared with 4,874 in the same period of 2023, a 0.14% increase (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
Italian extra-hotel overnight stays were 13,644 in January-August 2024 versus 14,769 in 2023, a 7.62% decline (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
That combination is important. Domestic extra-hotel visitors were essentially flat on visits, but their stays were shorter overall.
Monthly Italian extra-hotel series
| Month | Italian extra-hotel arrivals 2024 | Italian extra-hotel arrivals 2023 | YoY change | Italian extra-hotel overnight stays 2024 | Italian extra-hotel overnight stays 2023 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 335 | 321 | +4.36% | 858 | 819 | +4.76% |
| February | 260 | 247 | +5.26% | 500 | 460 | +8.70% |
| March | 789 | 598 | +31.94% | 1,658 | 1,098 | +51.00% |
| April | 856 | 823 | +4.01% | 2,215 | 2,553 | -13.24% |
| May | 706 | 642 | +9.97% | 1,735 | 1,861 | -6.77% |
| June | 589 | 617 | -4.54% | 1,689 | 1,992 | -15.21% |
| July | 452 | 596 | -24.16% | 1,621 | 2,094 | -22.59% |
| August | 894 | 1,030 | -13.20% | 3,368 | 3,892 | -13.46% |
Source labels for every figure in the table: Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024.
The domestic pattern in context
March is the standout month here. Italian extra-hotel arrivals rose by 31.94%, and overnight stays jumped by 51.00% (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). That is the strongest single-month domestic performance in the dataset.
But the picture becomes less favorable from June onward. Arrivals turned negative in June, July, and August, and overnight stays also fell in each of those months (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
The result is a market that starts 2024 with resilience and ends the summer with softness.
What the monthly swings suggest
The dataset supports a few careful interpretations without going beyond the numbers.
1. Siena’s total market is healthier than the extra-hotel segment
Total tourism grew in both arrivals and stays over January-August 2024. The extra-hotel segment declined sharply over the same period (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
That means the full market is not moving in lockstep with one accommodation channel. If you only looked at extra-hotel results, you would think Siena had a much weaker year than the total figures indicate.
2. Growth is concentrated in specific months
March, May, June, and August are the biggest positive months on the total side (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). April and July are the months that remind you growth is uneven. This is typical of destination data, but the size of the extra-hotel drop makes the unevenness more visible.
3. Overnight stays are not keeping pace with arrivals everywhere
The total market posted stronger growth in arrivals than in overnight stays. That pattern is visible in the January-August totals and in several monthly comparisons, especially April and July (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
For readers trying to understand tourism intensity, that matters. More arrivals do not automatically mean proportionally more nights.
4. Domestic extra-hotel travelers are steadier than the broader extra-hotel mix
Italian extra-hotel arrivals were nearly flat for January-August and rose in the first part of the year, especially in March (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024). But overnight stays still weakened overall. So the domestic segment looks more stable on volume, but not necessarily on length of stay.
How to read Siena tourism statistics responsibly
These figures are best used as a directional snapshot of demand, not as a complete explanation of the market. They show where the pressure is strongest, where the gains are concentrated, and where the accommodation mix is shifting (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
A careful reading of the numbers would focus on three things.
- Total tourism improved year over year in the January-August window.
- Extra-hotel demand contracted materially.
- The monthly pattern is uneven enough that single-month comparisons should not be overinterpreted (Comune di Siena, Movimentazione Turistica 2024).
That is the core story hidden inside the Siena tourism statistics: broader tourism demand is up, but part of the lodging market is under pressure, and the shape of the year matters as much as the totals.