The dividing line between those who see tourism as a positive phenomenon and critics of overtourism has been starkly illustrated this week in Florence, Italy. The Tuscan capital, is currently hosting a meeting of G7 tourism ministers who are looking at ways to boost the sector. But the summit coincides with a suite of measures to reduce the negative effects of overtourism in the “cradle of the Renaissance”, approved by the city’s very own mayor.
According to Italy’s statistics office, ISTAT, a record-breaking number of visitors went to Italy in 2023, reaching 134 million arrivals and 451 million overnight hotel stays, as well as a 17% increase in people choosing non-hotel accommodation. That puts Italy in fourth spot on the UN World Tourism Barometer, with only France, Spain and the USA ahead. The sector made up 10.5% of the country’s 2023 GDP.
Nonetheless, during the build-up to the G7 meeting, Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanche deplored the country’s position as fourth most popular world destination, arguing that the southern European nation needs to develop tourism even further and bring in another 50 million visitors every year. Although she recognised that some so-called “art cities” have experienced an overwhelming number of visitors, her vision for the sector remains ambitious.
“We can grow much more, we can develop much more and the industry of tourism can truly become the leading industry of our nation,” Santanche said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sara Funaro has just achieved cabinet approval for a 10-point plan that aims to tackle the impact of overtourism, especially in the city’s historic heart. The measures to be introduced take a practical and wide-ranging approach to improving the quality of life for Florence residents.
Among actions to be taken, a ban on “keyboxes” in the city centre will be implemented, alongside the outlawing of loudspeakers, according to a statement from the Mayor’s office. Loudspeakers, used by guides to inform and rally tourist groups, are a cause of noise pollution and Florence is not the only city to be tackling that.
Keyboxes are small secure units operated by code that can be attached to a building’s exterior to act as a safe place for key storage. They have become endemic among “no-reception” or “self-check-in” short-term rental properties, as a way for guests to let themselves into their accommodation without the need for someone to greet them. Seen as a symptom of overtourism (and a blight on the appearance of historic buildings), the boxes were the subject of a protest in Florence recently. Locals taped over the boxes with red Xs, to draw attention to how many piazzas and palazzi in the former medieval trading hub are dominated by holiday lets, putting pressure on the local housing market.
The new list of 10 tourism-calming measures comes on top of a ban on licences for new short-term rentals last year, echoing moves in Venice and Barcelona. The city also continues to lobby the national government to impose a 120-day-per-year limit on the duration of holiday lets.
