Understanding the story that television tells about tourism—who pulls the biggest share, who presents and who can influence, what’s new, and which kind of tourism is the most favoured?
Television & Tourism: some still wonder which came first. What’s certain is that, in our times, the idea of travel is often conceived through the story that TV tells us about the most coveted destinations. And there’s no point hiding it: almost always, at least from millennials downward, the urge to travel is born precisely behind the small screen.
Understanding how TV recounts and promotes tourism in Italy and abroad—this is what we asked ourselves, so that a tour operator, a travel agency, or an experience creator may be informed about where they might invest, and above all to understand which kind of tourism TV wants to tell through the programming of this season and the next two.
Let’s discover the main schedules and which destinations television favours. Who are the presenters chosen to recount travel experiences. And who are the potential influencers, who appear on the programmes either before or after passing through social media. Understanding the formats. And finally, which programmes have been the most successful. It seemed interesting to us to analyse and track down data not always available, blend it together, and publish it here.
Of one thing we have become convinced: tourism continues to find ample space in television schedules. It achieves share figures even far more significant than those of hugely famous programmes that don’t talk about tourism at all. And it does so with formats that, as a rule, portray villages, landscapes, accommodation facilities, gastronomic traditions, and lesser-known itineraries.
You don’t change a winning horse. The general programming confirms the presence of public TV’s long-standing formats, flanked by Sky and TV8 productions that describe travel as personal experience, as an encounter with local communities, and as exploration.
And here are last year’s ratings that struck us most, according to Rai’s data. On 26 October (2025), Linea Verde reached 24.8 per cent share on Rai 1, with 2.9 million viewers. To gauge how much tourism is worth: on the same day, the still much-praised Report had drawn a 9.3% share and 1,669,000 viewers—that is, less than half of Linea Verde’s results.
Linea Verde’s format had also reached a particularly wide audience—27.1 per cent share and over three million viewers—in the 11 May 2025 episode dedicated to Taranto and the Amerigo Vespucci. On the same day, Kilimangiaro had obtained 8.9 per cent, equal to 1.24 million viewers.
As anticipated, Rai focuses on tourism programming, honing in on villages, landscapes, and slow tourism. Among the main fixtures we find, precisely, Kilimangiaro on Rai 3 from Sunday 4 October at 4:45 p.m. Presented by Camila Raznovich, Kilimangiaro is produced by Rai Cultura and alternates international documentaries with accounts of Italian territories.
From 11 October, Il Borgo dei Borghi also returned—a competition dedicated to Italy’s small towns, with a pronounced interest in the historical and cultural heritage of the inland areas.
On Rai 1, Linea Verde, which we’ve mentioned, focuses as usual on the countryside and territorial economies, tackling rural tourism, agriculture, and typical produce; nor is the relationship between traditions and local development underrated. In addition to the main programme, we find some territorial spin-offs of Linea Verde, namely Linea Verde Italia and Linea Verde Sentieri.
Linea Verde Italia, presented by Elisa Isoardi and Monica Caradonna, delves into urban sustainability, green infrastructure, parks, and the transformation of cities. Last 30 May it reached a 20.9 per cent share, with 2.12 million viewers.
Linea Verde Sentieri, entrusted to Lino Zani and Giulia Capocchi, instead favours trekking, spiritual walks, and nature itineraries. In recent episodes it has portrayed the areas of Central Italy hit by the earthquake, with attention to the Franciscan Way of the Marca and the Via Lauretana, with a focus also on Alpine itineraries such as the Stelvio ring. The episode of last 20 June captured a 21 per cent share, with 2.23 million viewers. For the winter, the programme has not yet been confirmed by Rai.
Sky and TV8: hotels, couples’ trips, and regional cuisine
Sky Uno’s season brought back on air, on 6 September, every Sunday at 9:15 p.m., Bruno Barbieri – 4 Hotel, presented by the chef of the same name, who sets about visiting accommodation facilities, pitting at least four hoteliers against one another. The entrepreneurs are assessed on location, rooms, services, and value for money. This year the programme crosses eight Italian areas: the Aeolian Islands, the Marche, Monferrato, Lignano Sabbiadoro and Grado, the Sila, Brescia, the Castelli Romani, and Como. Tourism, in this case, is recounted through the concrete experience of the stay, dissecting entrepreneurial choices and the quality of hospitality. As for the share, the commercial data published by Sky Media for the seventh season indicated 842,000 weekly audience contacts and 232,000 average viewers on the first day.
Among TV8’s novelties is Italia per due – Consigli disordinati di viaggio (“Italy for Two – Disorderly Travel Tips”), presented by Benedetta Parodi and Fabio Caressa. The format consists of the two presenters crossing various Italian locations by car. They do so by trying out at least three activities suggested to them by locals, favouring experiences tied to traditions and everyday life.
TV8’s programming also looks ahead to next spring with Taste of Italy, a new Sky programme that will see Antonino Cannavacciuolo travel through Italy’s provinces, accompanied by chef Chiara Pavan and by Anna Zhang, winner of MasterChef Italia. The journey will involve fishermen, farmers, the so-called “artisans of taste,” and experts in food traditions. Cannavacciuolo will have to identify the best amateur cooks and understand how their cooking enhances the identity of the territories.
Mediaset, too, contributes to the storytelling of Italian destinations with Melaverde, broadcast on Canale 5 on Sundays at 11:50 a.m., presented by Ellen Hidding and Vincenzo Venuto, who travel across Italy’s regions in search of gastronomic traditions, local produce, craftsmanship, and rural territories.
On Rete 4, Roberto Giacobbo instead offers Freedom, a programme dedicated to historical, archaeological, and natural heritage, with itineraries that also include lesser-known Italian locations.
Lastly, La7 offers Eden – Un pianeta da salvare (“Eden – A Planet to Save”), presented by Licia Colò, which combines the discovery of Italian and international landscapes with the themes of biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and the protection of the land.
The news programmes that recount new destinations
Tourism within the news. In Rai 2’s schedule, here is TG2 Sì, Viaggiare, a segment curated and presented by journalist Silvia Vaccarezza. The Friday appointments offer itineraries, curiosities, and tips for visiting Italian and international destinations.
On Rai 3, every Saturday at 1:25 p.m., Bellitalia, curated by TGR Toscana, instead delves into cultural heritage—from museums to restorations, from historic centres to traditions.
A channel dedicated to the storytelling of Italy has also been born: it is “Italiana,” launched on Rai’s initiative at the beginning of October on channel 57 of digital terrestrial television. The project has been much debated because, to create the channel in question, Rai Scuola was shut down. The idea stems from the experience of Linea Verde and uses a schedule built around Made in Italy, with programming based on archive content—though there is an intention to introduce new productions and live link-ups from the country’s events.