ISTAT and tourist flow reporting: a practical guide for hotels, B&Bs and holiday rentals
What the ISTAT obligation is for accommodation facilities, how the Ross1000 system works, what data to submit, deadlines and penalties — and how Hotely automates everything.
There's a compliance obligation that many accommodation managers only discover when the Regional Tourism Office contacts them for the first time: the monthly reporting of tourist flows to ISTAT. It's not optional, it doesn't only apply to large hotels, and — contrary to what one might think — it is completely separate from the Alloggiati Web obligation to the Police Headquarters.
This guide explains what it is, who must comply, what data is submitted, and how Hotely reduces the entire process to zero effort.
What ISTAT reporting is and why it's mandatory
Every Italian accommodation facility is legally required to periodically communicate its tourist presence data to the Regional Tourism Authority, which aggregates it on behalf of ISTAT for national statistics. The obligation is established by EC Regulation No. 692/2011 of the European Parliament and the Italian Ministerial Decree of 7 January 2013.
We're not only talking about 100-room hotels. The obligation applies to all accommodation facilities: hotels of every category, B&Bs, agritourisms, holiday homes, guesthouses, hostels, campsites. If you have a registered facility, you are required to comply.
Penalties for non-compliance are administrative in nature and vary by region, but the trend in recent years is towards more frequent inspections and higher amounts. In some regions the fine exceeds €500 for each month of non-compliance.
ISTAT vs Alloggiati Web: they're not the same thing
One of the most common misconceptions is thinking that Alloggiati Web and ISTAT reporting are the same thing, or that doing one exempts you from the other. That's not the case.
| Alloggiati Web (Police HQ) | ISTAT / Ross1000 (Region) | |
|---|---|---|
| Managed by | State Police | Regional Tourism Office |
| Purpose | Public safety, guest identification | National tourism statistics |
| Data transmitted | Personal and identity document data | Stays, nationality, purpose of trip |
| Frequency | Per guest, within 24 hours of arrival | Daily report (or monthly depending on region) |
| Credentials | Issued by Police HQ | Issued by the regional office |
Both obligations apply simultaneously. They are two separate systems, with separate credentials, communicating to different bodies. The good news is that the data required is essentially the same — and that's exactly what Hotely leverages to collect it just once.
What Ross1000 is
Ross1000 is the software adopted by most Italian regions to receive data from accommodation management systems. It is not a web portal where you enter data manually: it is a web service — a technical channel through which the management software automatically sends XML files with the facility's data.
This means that, unlike Alloggiati Web where it's possible to enter registrations manually on a website, with Ross1000 you need management software that speaks with the web service. Hotely is integrated with Ross1000 for the main Italian regions: Piedmont, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lombardy, Calabria, Sardinia, Liguria, Lazio, Molise, Basilicata.
For regions not yet supported via automatic API, Hotely still generates the XML file ready to be uploaded manually to the regional portal.
What data is submitted to ISTAT
The report the facility sends to ISTAT contains essentially three categories of data:
Stay data:
- Number of guests arrived on the day
- Number of guests departed on the day
- Total number of overnight stays
Aggregated demographic data (non-nominal):
- Nationality of guests (country of residence)
- Age group or category (adults, children)
Additional statistical data (optional or mandatory depending on region):
- Purpose of trip (tourism, work, family, health, other)
- Mode of transport used to arrive
- Booking channel (OTA, direct, tour operator)
The good news is that this data doesn't require asking guests for additional documents — much of it is already in the booking (nationality, dates) or is collected with a single question in the online pre check-in form.
How it works with Hotely
One link to collect everything
If you have both Alloggiati Web and ISTAT configured in Hotely, the pre check-in link you send to guests collects all data in a single session. The guest sees a single page with all the necessary fields — they have no idea they're completing two different compliance requirements. On your end, the data arrives already separated and ready to be sent to the two systems.
The daily report
Every day Hotely automatically aggregates the facility's data — arrivals, departures, overnight stays, guest nationalities — and prepares the report in the XML format required by Ross1000.
If you activate automatic sending, the report is transmitted every morning at 08:00 with the previous day's data. You don't need to do anything.
If you prefer to have control, you can do it manually with a click from the ISTAT section of the dashboard, after verifying that the data is correct.
The previous day's report for states
An important detail: Ross1000 works on "previous day" data. The report you send Monday morning contains Sunday's data. This is why automatic sending at 08:00 works well: the day is closed, the data is final, the system sends.
How to get Ross1000 credentials
Ross1000 credentials are not available online and cannot be self-generated: they are issued by the Regional Tourism Office of your region.
The typical process:
- Contact the office by phone or email (search "regional tourism office + [your region]" on the region's website)
- Provide: facility name, address, category, tax code or VAT number
- You are assigned a username, password and facility code (an alphanumeric code like
A00927P) - Enter these details in Hotely's ISTAT settings and test the connection
Response times vary greatly from region to region: some respond within 48 hours, others take weeks. Better to act early.
How to configure ISTAT on Hotely
Once you have your credentials:
- Go to your property dashboard → sidebar → ISTAT
- Click on ISTAT Settings
- Select your region, enter the facility code, username and password
- Enter the number of rooms and beds (used to calculate the occupancy rate in reports)
- Choose whether to activate automatic sending (recommended)
- Click Test connection — if credentials are correct, you'll see a green confirmation
From that point on, reports are generated and sent automatically. The dashboard shows the status of each submission and alerts on any errors.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really mandatory even for small B&Bs? Yes. The obligation applies to all accommodation facilities, regardless of size. There is no minimum threshold of rooms or guests.
What if I don't have Ross1000 credentials yet? You can still use Hotely to collect data and generate XML files. You download them manually and upload them to the regional portal. It's not automatic, but it's still much better than manual field-by-field data entry.
Is ISTAT data nominal (traceable to individual guests)? No. ISTAT works on aggregated data — how many people arrived, of what nationality, for how many nights. It doesn't transmit names or documents: those remain in the Alloggiati Web system of the Police HQ.
My region isn't on the list — what do I do? Hotely still generates the XML file in the standard Ross1000 format. You can download it and upload it manually to your region's portal. We're adding new regions regularly — write to us if you want to signal the priority of yours.
I have multiple facilities in different regions — do I need to do everything twice? Each facility on Hotely has its own independent ISTAT configuration, with its own regional credentials. From the same dashboard you can manage facilities in different regions without confusion.
The complete technical guide with all details is available in the Hotely ISTAT documentation.
If you manage an accommodation facility and want to stop wasting time with regional portals, try Hotely for free — ISTAT and Alloggiati Web integration is included in the base plan, with no additional modules.
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