New rule to save 'dying’ Italian city from tourists divides opinion

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A city in Tuscany, known for its Renaissance history, is facing a huge influx of tourists.

By 2024, the city had a population of 364,073 residents, but annually, approximately 11 million people visited to enjoy its iconic food, rich history and cultural attractions.

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Last week, the Mayor of Florence, Sara Furano, confirmed that the council will be removing any remaining key boxes stuck to buildings, with fines of up to $550 AUD issued to those who don't comply.

This isn't the first step Florence has taken to make life easier for the city with short-term rentals.

In 2023, authorities prohibited new short-term accommodation rentals from setting up in its heritage-listed central area in a bid to make more room for residents to live there.

‘In 2016, we had around 6,000 apartments listed on Airbnb; today we have almost 14,378,’ Florence’s then-mayor, Dario Nardella, said at the time.

‘About 40,000 people living in the inner city are complaining about suddenly finding themselves living in apartment hotels.’

Why is Florence getting rid of self-service check-in machines?

The 'Robin Hood' gang of anti-lockbox crusaders

Vandalised a number of properties across Italy as part of a contentious protest against the proliferation of short-term rentals.

The vigilante group, which gets its name from the famous figure who nicked from the wealthy to give to the poor, reckons that platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are buggering up the foundations of local communities. They claim these platforms are making Italy's housing crisis worse by jacking up rents and chucking out residents in favour of visitors.

In November 2024, protesters took to the streets with stickers bearing the phrase 'Let's save Florence so we can live in it'.

The demonstrations have been taking place in the northern city of Bologna in recent months, with the window of the tourist office on Via Guerrazzi having graffiti written on it saying: ‘Stop Airbnb! Robin Hood.’

The letter said: ‘The padlocks we're sabotaging are just one of the signs of a tourism industry that's gone downhill in every way.’

What's the general sentiment among locals about the influx of tourists?

It's no secret that Florentines are divided about the impact of tourism – more specifically, overtourism – on the city.

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‘I'm not against tourism, I'm against over-tourism. Tourism in Florence should be managed: no short-term rentals on Airbnb, no rip-off shops, implement some rules to close down tourist traps, and so on.’

The decision to remove self-check-in boxes is aimed at tackling this issue, and the council believes it will also help to reduce the burden on the city.

As Massimo Torelli, spokesperson for the 'Let's Save Florence to Live In It' campaign, says, the check-in boxes are 'everywhere, on the bike racks and on the streetlight poles.'

In his opinion, Florence is "dying from uncontrolled tourism," and he hopes the new law will bring the number of short-term rentals down from 15,000 to between 7,000 and 8,000.

Overtourism or just a case of 'come and go' tourism?

Not everyone agrees the move will be a good thing. Italy's tourism minister Daniela Santache previously said that the problems with too many tourists are mainly due to poor management rather than anything else.

‘I don't agree with the term "overtourism" but I understand why some areas are getting overcrowded,’ she said in November ahead of the G7 summit.

‘But we gotta ask ourselves, haven't we knocked over the apple cart of the local businesses that made our historic areas buzz with life? If we'd kept our local shops and promoted what we're good at, maybe we'd have less of this "grab and go" tourism that doesn't give us much back.

‘You’ve got to lift the entire economy by boosting the wealthiest segment, otherwise, there won’t be much left for the lower end.’

The move could have a negative impact on the travel industry.

* **Sustainable tourism practices**: Encouraging tourists to adopt sustainable practices such as reducing energy consumption

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Fair dinkum, Italy as a whole has seen a fair whack of tourists in recent years, with Rome taking the cake in 2024, having a 5% boost in international visitors compared to the previous year, 2023.

The city is gearing up to host its Jubilee or 'Holy Year' with a series of events, but the capital is still expecting a massive influx of visitors – around 35 million are tipped to arrive.

Requiring short-stay tourists to pay a five euro entrance fee.

At the time, Simone Venturini, the councillor in charge of tourism and community harmony, said the system would help find 'a new balance' between locals and day-trippers.

‘It's a positive outcome for the hotel industry, as it'll encourage more tourists to choose traditional hotels where staff are on hand and the rules are a bit more strict,’ James says.

‘However, it could also cause problems for the hardworking and legit short-term rentals that operate properly, especially for business travellers or people arriving late at night who rely on flexible access at their own time.’

‘For our clients, Florence has been a top spot for TV and film crews for ages, who often need short-term accommodation when working on location and we always make sure to find the best and most flexible options so cities like Florence stay attractive to film crews.’

Tourism overload or a struggling property market?

Meanwhile, in Florence resident @tomatoflee's opinion, it's not necessarily tourism (or overtourism) that's the issue. Tourism might be getting the blame, but he reckons a troubled housing market is the real problem.

‘You can’t walk 100 metres without stumbling across some world-class cultural gem so it’s no wonder heaps of people head there,’ he said on TikTok. ‘Sometimes though, everywhere is so packed out that it takes away from the experience for everyone.’

‘The debate gets heated by the fact that there are European-wide economic issues that mainly affect young people and those with limited finances. If you're struggling to find an affordable place to live, for instance, it's easy to blame tourism, even if it's not necessarily justified.’

Florence is having a tough time due to short-term rentals taking over residential areas, making it harder to find affordable housing.

‘Tourists, particularly those booking short-term stays through Airbnb, are part of this trend, but they're not the main issue – it's really the property owners and investors who are turning homes into permanent rentals that are causing the problem,’ says Paul.

The city centre was once bustling with locals. Now it's become a revolving door for tourists. Over the years, I've seen how local stores have been replaced by businesses that only cater to visitors.

‘A lot of traditional bakeries, shops, and meat markets have closed down because fewer people actually live in the centre these days.’

‘Banning lockboxes won’t solve the problem on its own, but it’s a sign that the city wants to get back some control.’

‘Tourism is just a business that should be governed by rules’

Filippo Randelli and Federico Martellozzo are members of the Economic Geography department at the University of Florence.

Raised in the city, Filippo now resides in the surrounding countryside. His collaborative research examines the difficulties of over-tourism in Florence, and how this affects the local housing market.

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However, he reckons getting rid of the lockboxes alone won't solve the problem – and that implementing policies such as tax regulation for short-term apartment owners would be a more effective solution. The revenue from this, in his view, could be put towards investing in social housing.

‘We're losing residents because it's too pricey to live in the city centre, and in some popular tourist spots like Piazza Duomo, it can be hard to get around on foot.’

‘It’s a pretty tough issue to handle, to be honest.’

‘We have heaps of abandoned buildings that could be given a makeover and rented out at a pretty low cost, or the government could stump up some cash to help out with the rent.’

Filippo doesn't think all tourists should be dumped on and acknowledges the economic benefits they bring to a region. He also doesn't think people who want to do business through short-term rentals should be stopped – just that they should pay higher taxes.

‘I don’t want to stop your business…I want to raise some money for public services, like helping out young families with kids who are renting, or putting some cash into public areas,’ he concludes.

‘Tourism isn’t some sort of crime sheet, it’s just an industry that should be kept in check.’

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