For years, the presence of bears in Trentino has filled the news and fueled heated debates. But the latest national survey by BVA Doxa, commissioned by Trentino Marketing and presented at the “Large Carnivores Roundtable,” tells a less alarmed story: for the majority of Italians, the issue does not influence their holiday choices.
When asked whether the presence of bears affects their decision to vacation in Trentino, 67% of respondents said it makes no difference. Only 13%, according to the PAT press office, said it would reduce their interest, while 20% said it would increase it. Among those who are concretely considering a holiday in Trentino’s valleys, the share who see the bear as an added value rises to 26%. These figures overturn the image of a territory “at risk of tourist flight” and instead paint a more balanced, even reassuring, picture.
The survey, conducted between June 3 and 16, 2025, with a mixed methodology (50% online interviews, 50% by telephone) on a national sample of 2,011 individuals, also highlights another aspect: awareness of how to behave in the event of a bear encounter remains low nationwide (31%), while it rises among those who have visited Trentino in the past two years (48%). It was even higher in the 2024 survey conducted only in the provincial territory, where 75% of residents said they were informed, with peaks of 81% among young people.
There is also the memory of past episodes: 52% of Italians recall at least one attack in Trentino, a sign that the media echo of such incidents has left its mark on the collective imagination. Yet this does not automatically translate into a drop in interest. The majority continue to view Trentino as an attractive destination for nature and landscapes, with an average propensity for a mountain holiday rated 7.6 out of 10.
Another interesting finding, the PAT press office notes, concerns perceptions of bear numbers: today, 40% of Italians consider them “numerous,” compared with just 7% in 2002, at the dawn of the reintroduction project. The majority (70%) believe the population should remain stable, while 15% hope for an increase and another 15% for a decrease.
The comparison also highlights the gap between local and national perceptions: at the provincial level, almost half of respondents attribute responsibility to bears for damage to crops, beehives, and domestic animals, whereas at the national level the percentage drops sharply — evidence that those living farther away perceive the issue more as a media phenomenon than as direct experience.
In light of these findings, more than a “tourism problem,” the bear issue seems to confirm the centrality of communication: signs, apps, digital maps, and information campaigns are the tools most requested by Italians.
