Lake Garda Hits 84.8% Hotel Occupancy in August, Verona at 80.6%

Summer tourism in 2026 closed August with growth across Lake Garda and the Verona area, according to reports by HBenchmark and Mastercard for Destination Verona & Garda Foundation. Average occupancy reached 84.8% on the lake and 80.6% in Verona, while spending also rose: in the first half of 2026, turnover increased by 12% on Garda Veneto and by 6% in Verona’s historic centre versus the same period last year.

The data also point to momentum after Ferragosto. Over the last 15 days, pre-booked occupancy for the coming months rose by 5.7 percentage points in Verona and by more than 3 points on the Garda, with September and October expected to play a larger role in the destination’s tourism economy. In August, Verona city recorded an average occupancy of 82.1%, while the province (excluding the lake) accelerated from 72.1% last year to 77.9% this year (+5.8 points). Average length of stay remained stable in the municipality (2.6 nights) but increased in the province from 3.1 to 3.4 nights; on the spending side, Mastercard data show that in the first half of 2026 international visitors accounted for 64% of historic-centre turnover, with the UK, Germany and the US among the fastest-growing markets.

On the lake, occupancy in August was 86.3% in the Lower Garda and 81.1% in the Upper Garda, with stay duration averaging around six nights in both areas. Mastercard estimates that in the first half of 2026, 74% of spending on Garda Veneto came from foreign visitors and total spending grew by 12% year-on-year, supported by increases in sectors such as food service (+15%), specialty food retail (+14%) and accommodation (+10%). Looking ahead, pre-booked occupancy for September and October stood at 55.5% for the wider Verona area and 59.8% in the municipality as of early September, and event weeks are already pulling demand, including Marmomac (19–26 September) at 70% pre-booked occupancy.
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