The Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT) is reporting a "renaissance" in Chinese tourism, with arrivals up almost 30 per cent compared to this time last year.  

Flights from China to Italy during Golden Week alone jumped by 22 per cent, according to Trip.com. 

ENIT President, Alessandra Priante, told CGTN that there's been a shift in demographic and travel trends. 

"We have seen a 27 percent increase in arrivals comparing the two years but what we saw in the change is that they're getting younger and the groups are getting smaller," she said.

According to Priante, Chinese tourists are looking for a more tailored experience. 

"I would say that the emerging experiences are the wine and gastronomy tourism routes, the wellness routes and clearly the shopping routes," she said. 

The CEO of Rome Airports, Marco Troncone, told CGTN that the numbers are encouraging. 

"From January to August this year, for the first eight months, we recorded an excess of half a million passengers," said Troncone. "We're very happy with connectivity, we're operating direct flights from Italy to China with six different airlines to eight different destinations."

Driving the current spike is China's Mid-Autumn Festival Golden Week. But attention is already turning to Italy's next big international event: the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, taking place in February-March. 

Building on the momentum of the Beijing Games four years ago, it's hoped the event will herald the return of pre-pandemic numbers.

"We are very optimistic about next year, next summer we believe we'll surpass pre-Covid levels because demand is growing," said Troncone.

The games will be held across both the city setting of Milan and the mountain resort town of Cortina, offering a dual travel experience. 

Priante says the event will shed a light on what Italy has to offer beyond the well-known tourist trails.    

She said: "It's the first time that two regions are involved. This will allow us to make the tourists, and especially the Chinese tourists, explore the Italy that they have not seen yet. So, we are focusing on creating the legacy of the post Winter Olympics." 

It's a sporting legacy that could be a game changer for Italy's tourism market, industry bosses hope.