Confirmed success for Il Salone del Camper, with over 60,000 tickets purchased online, in addition to those sold at the box office during the 9-day event. Italy takes off: the 2025/2026 season recorded 8,144 camper registrations, representing a 4.95% growth compared to the previous period. The presence of Tommaso Foti, Gianmarco Mazzi, and Gian Marco Centinaio marked a record-breaking edition, putting the spotlight on the role of the manufacturing industry and itinerant tourism. The event gathered over 350 exhibitors and displayed more than 600 recreational vehicles, confirming 100,000 visitors over nine days.
Il Salone del Camper in Parma wrapped up its 2026 edition by confirming 100,000 visitors, testifying to the event’s strong public appeal even amidst a complex international geopolitical context.
Equally significant was the figure of 60,000 tickets purchased online, demonstrating increasingly planned attendance and allowing for a smoother visitor flow management.
More than 350 exhibitors, over 600 recreational vehicles on display, 5 halls, and over 110,000 square meters of exhibition space complete the overview of the event, which concluded on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Fiere di Parma. The trade fair was organized in collaboration with APC – Caravan and Motorhome Manufacturers Association.
Further highlighting the event’s media impact were the 508 accredited journalists, bloggers, YouTubers, and influencers.
Accompanying the attendance figures are positive trends from the Italian market: between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, camper registrations grew by 4.95% compared to the same previous period.
Over the nine days, the Salone brought together the entire supply chain—from campers, vans, caravans, and motorhomes to components, accessories, services, and travel destinations—fostering dialogue among companies, the public, and institutions on the key topics shaping the evolution of outdoor and itinerant tourism.
The 2026 edition was also distinguished by a strong institutional presence. On Saturday, September 12, Tommaso Foti, Minister for European Affairs, the NRRP, and Cohesion Policies, spoke at the official inauguration. On Monday, September 14, the event welcomed Gianmarco Mazzi, Minister of Tourism, while on Saturday, September 19, Gian Marco Centinaio, Vice President of the Senate and former Minister of Agriculture, Food, Forestry, and Tourism, attended.
The three interventions placed key growth drivers at the heart of the debate: the economic weight of Italian manufacturing, Italy’s capacity to attract European itinerant tourism flows, and the need to build an infrastructure network adequate to meet market demand.
The presence of Minister for European Affairs, the NRRP, and Cohesion Policies Tommaso Foti at the opening ceremony on Saturday, September 12, added strong institutional prestige to the opening and highlighted the economic weight of the Italian camper industry. In his speech, Foti recalled that approximately 28,000 campers and caravans are produced in Italy every year, with the sector employing 8,000 direct and indirect workers.
The Minister also emphasized the potential of a European market counting roughly 6.5 million recreational vehicles, stressing Italy’s need to strengthen its hospitality capacity and dedicated parking infrastructure:
“Today, the challenge is that in addition to being manufacturers, we must become a top destination for those who do not choose traditional infrastructure for their holidays. For this reason, we must offer well-equipped areas that support an increasingly widespread trend across Europe.”
His address connected the manufacturing strength of the sector with the economic potential of incoming camper travel and the financial benefits these flows generate for local territories.
Two days after the opening, on Monday, September 14, Il Salone del Camper welcomed Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi, who focused his speech on the role of open-air tourism within national policies and infrastructure development.
Mazzi highlighted a €32 million investment allocated to over 150 projects across 169 Italian municipalities, aimed at creating 4,375 camper stopovers. The interventions are distributed as follows: 28.5% in the North, 28.5% in the Centre, and 43% in the South and Islands, aiming to strengthen hospitality across the entire national territory.
During his address, the Minister outlined the optimal strategy: degest, deseasonalize, and digitize. Open-air tourism, Mazzi explained, can help distribute visitor flows to less congested areas and extend the tourist season beyond traditional peak periods. Meanwhile, digitization enters the travel planning experience, which is meticulously curated by international tourists. The Minister also emphasized hospitality quality, noting the need to align Italian standards with those of top-equipped North European camper stopovers to meet the expectations of an increasingly demanding international market—a tourism segment that brings wealth and generates local economic returns.
Market statistics further reinforce the Salone’s success. The season spanning September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026, closed with 8,144 new registrations compared to 7,760 in the previous season, marking a 4.95% growth rate. Campervans accounted for 37.26% of these new registrations.
Furthermore, Italy maintains its position as the third-largest European producer of motorhomes, behind Germany and France, exporting over 80% of its production. These figures frame the 2026 Salone’s results within a growing domestic market and a strongly export-oriented supply chain.
Infrastructure remains a central theme. Italy has an estimated 2,000 camper stopover areas, compared to over 5,000 in Germany, more than 4,000 in France, and over 2,500 in Spain.
This comparison carries particular weight when considering the potential market size: in Europe, itinerant tourists are estimated at over 20 million, considering only those traveling in an owned camper or caravan, excluding rental vehicles.
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