A record 60 million foreign tourists visited Italy last year, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said Thursday. According to ISTAT data, he said, arrivals in Italian tourist facilities rose by 5.5 million (4.5%) to a new record high of 122.3 million.

The rise was 60% due to foreign tourism which registered 2,964,951 arrivals more, up 5.2%, according to the national statistics agency. Foreign tourists' spending was also up to a total of 37 billion euros, according to the Bank of Italy, a "sign that current policies are working," Franceschini said.