Tourism Law in Europe

2 accommodation (approximately 81 thousand). In terms of beds, however, the differential between hotel and non-hotel facilities is reduced: hotels have 2.2 million beds (45.5% of the total), while complementary ones have 2.7 million beds, with the largest share represented by campsites and tourist villages (50.4% of the complementary total) 4 . In order to assess the importance of sector compared to the country, the number of beds per 1000 inhabitants has been estimated and in 2017 was equal to 37, approximately 7 units higher than the European average, equal to 29.6 5 . Returning to relationship between hotel and non-hotel facilities, it is clear that already in 2015 it was in a minority, albeit slightly (46%), compared to non-hotel facilities. This heralded a trend, now confirmed, to the ever-increasing growth in the latest non-hotel types entering the market: farmhouses, B&Bs and even tourist rentals. If we analyse the trend on the side of hotel presences in the period from 1990 to 2015, we note that these increase at an average annual rate of 2.2%, while in other types of structures it increase at a rate of 8.7% 6 . Data show that the evolution of demand for years has pushed towards a less traditional hotel tourism and more towards a new accommodation . 2. The Origins of Hospitality in Italy and its Evolution History of Italian hotel accommodation system is characterized by constant expansion and rationalization. Firms grow in a generalized, differentiated and widespread way, increasing their size, starting from the beginning of the twentieth century (from 1900 onwards). A continuous improvement in the quality of the offer has been achieved, pursued through periods of adjustment, rationalization, adaptation and provocation with respect to an ever-changing market. The great war events of the last century, the first 4 Source: Il turismo in cifre (Tourism in figures) , 2018, Osservatorio Nazionale del Turismo ONTIT (ed.), on ISTAT 2016 Data 5 Source: Questioni di economia e finanza (Economic and financial matters) , cit., p. 8 6 Ottavo rapporto sul sistema alberghiero e turistico ricettivo in Italia (Eight report on the hotel and tourist accommodation system in Italy) , cit. re-elaboration on ISTAT data base.