Following the record-breaking tourism figures for Sardinia in 2025, the first eight months of 2026 will see further increases in both spending and arrivals at the three Sardinian airports .
Passenger traffic at the three airports increased by 8.93% in the first eight months of the year, totaling approximately 8.6 million passengers, approximately 705,000 more than last year . Foreign passengers increased by 19.09%, while Italian passengers (including Sardinians) increased by 3.07%. Specifically , Cagliari-Elmas airport recorded a 6.65% increase (12.11% foreign passengers), Olbia airport a 10.2% increase (15.55% foreign passengers), and Alghero airport a 12.39% increase (52.56% foreign passengers) . At the latter airport, however,—also due to the old territorial continuity regime—domestic passengers decreased by 4.86%.
The data was released by the regional tourism councilor, Franco Cuccureddu, during the presentation of tourism spending in Sardinia based on Mastercard data.
Tourist spending
Mastercard data, processed on the basis of transactions carried out at physical POS terminals on the island, recorded a 9.5% increase in spending in the period between January 1 and August 31, 2026, compared to the same period last year .
Catering (22.7%) and food sales (18.7%) remain the leading spending categories, followed by hotels (13.1%) : the largest increases in spending, compared to the first 8 months of last year, concern public places (+20.6%) and fuel (+16.4%).
Over half of the spending is generated by foreign customers (50.3%) . The largest contributors are the Germans, followed by the Swiss, then tied for second are the Dutch, British, and French.
In Italy, residents of Lombardy contribute 23% of the Sardinian economy's total spending, followed by Lazio (15%), Emilia-Romagna (9.6%), and Veneto (9%). Regions with double-digit growth compared to the same period in 2025 include Campania (+13%), Veneto (+11%), and Emilia-Romagna (+10%). Sardinians account for 28.5% of the total (22.7% in August).
