Statistical and economic analysis of the development of the tourism industry of Italy and its gastronomic segment as components of the national brand

The article provides a statistical and economic analysis of the development of the Italian tourism industry in the context of the formation of its national brand and identifies the role of the gastronomic segment as a factor in increasing the country's brand attractiveness. Based on official statistical data, the dynamics of tourist flows in Italy in the period 2018–2024, the volume of spending on international tourism, as well as quantitative indicators of the country's attendance by major donor markets in 2024 are considered. The tourism industry in Italy continues to develop every year, and tourism indicators are constantly increasing. Every year, the country is visited by more and more foreign tourists who are interested in getting to know the country. It is tourists who form modern statistical indicators with which you can analyze changes in the industry. The impact of the tourism sector on the formation of Italy's gross domestic product in 2019–2024 was analyzed, as well as the change in the tourism industry development index (TTDI) for 2019, 2021 and 2024. The tourism sector in Italy plays an important role in the formation of the gross domestic product indicator, which is reflected in the general state of the country's economy. According to the data, the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) for Italy demonstrates certain dynamics, due to fluctuations in the component indicators that form the overall index. Particular attention is paid to the study of gastronomic tourism as a promising direction for the development of the tourism sector. Growth trends and a forecast for the value of the Italian gastronomic tourism market for 2020–2027 (in billion US dollars) were determined. In the context of ensuring the quality of gastronomic products, the dynamics of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) of Italy in 2018–2022 were analyzed and the country's positions were compared with the leading countries of the world in the food security rating in 2022. Additionally, the dynamics of the number of establishments awarded Michelin stars in 2018–2024 were considered, which reflects the level of development of the gastronomic industry and its contribution to strengthening the image of Italy as a world center of culinary culture. The results obtained make it possible to comprehensively assess the relationship between the development of the tourism industry, the gastronomic segment and the formation of the country's national brand, as well as to outline potential areas for further strengthening Italy's competitiveness in the global tourism market.