The ISTAT statistical survey for accommodation facilities: a practical guide

Every hotel, B&B or guesthouse in Italy lives with three obligations that are often confused with one another: registering guests for public security purposes (Alloggiati Web), the tourist tax, and the ISTAT statistical survey of tourism movement. The last of these is the least talked about, yet it remains a legal requirement and failing to comply is punishable. Let's look at what it is, who has to meet it, and how to get it out of the way without wasting time.

What the ISTAT statistical survey is

It is the periodic reporting of guest movement in accommodation facilities: how many people arrive and how many nights they stay. It feeds the official tourism statistics that ISTAT compiles together with the Regions. Its purpose is purely statistical: it serves no security or tax function, and the data is reported in aggregate form, without the names and surnames of individual guests.

The two key figures are arrivals (how many guests took up accommodation during the period) and overnight stays (the total number of nights, i.e. the overall number of nights spent by all guests). The same guest generates a single arrival but several overnight stays if they remain for more than one night: confusing the two figures is the most frequent mistake.

Who is required to report the data

The obligation applies to virtually all accommodation facilities, regardless of size. Even someone renting out a single room falls within the survey.

• Hotels and residences
• Bed & breakfasts
• Guesthouses and holiday homes
• Farm stays offering hospitality
• Campsites, hostels and other non-hotel facilities

Movement must be reported even during periods of closure or empty rooms: in that case you submit a zero declaration. Silence does not count as an absence of guests.

What data is reported

You do not transmit the personal details of individual guests, but figures aggregated by period. Typically the following are required:

• Number of arrivals and overnight stays
• Country or region of origin of the guests
• Available rooms and beds, and those actually occupied
• Any days on which the facility was closed

How often and through which portal

Reporting is normally monthly, to be submitted in the first days of the month following the reference period. In some Regions, during the low season or for certain types of facility, more frequent or shorter deadlines apply: the exact rule depends on the Region or Province with jurisdiction.

The report does not go through a single national portal but through the system of your Region or Province. The most widely used platforms for this purpose are Istrice and Ross1000, adopted by many regional administrations. The first step is therefore always to check which platform your area uses and with which credentials.

ISTAT, Alloggiati Web and the tourist tax: three different things

This is the most time-costly misunderstanding. They are three separate obligations, with distinct recipients and purposes:

• Alloggiati Web: submitting guest data to the Questura, for public security purposes, within 24 hours of arrival
• Tourist tax: a tax obligation to the Municipality, with a per-night amount and periodic payment
• ISTAT survey: aggregated data on arrivals and overnight stays for statistical purposes, to the Region and ISTAT

Having submitted one does not cover the other two. They are parallel flows that all start from the same information collected at check-in, but end up at different bodies.

The most common mistakes

Most disputes arise from oversights repeated month after month, not from complex cases.

• Confusing arrivals and overnight stays, either halving or inflating the nights
• Forgetting the zero submission in months of closure or with no guests
• Missing the monthly deadline, believing Alloggiati Web is enough
• Getting the guests' origin wrong or entering it inconsistently
• Failing to update available rooms and beds after changes to the facility

Preparing the report from checked stay data

The secret is not to reconstruct the numbers at the end of the month, but to capture the data once, at the right moment. If at check-in you already record the guest, stay dates and origin in a structured way, arrivals and overnight stays calculate themselves: all you have to do is export the monthly summary in the format required by the regional portal.

Organised stay data can help prepare the statistical report and reduce repeated data entry. The operator still needs to check the format, totals and regional requirements, upload or submit the report through the required channel and retain the relevant confirmation.

In summary

The ISTAT survey is a statistical obligation distinct from public security and tax: you report arrivals and overnight stays, normally every month, through your Region's portal (often Istrice or Ross1000), including the zero months. HotelOnlineAI offers tools to organise stay data and assess preparation needs for your property. During the pilot program we agree on the relevant support; the operator remains responsible for checking and submitting information according to regional rules.