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The historic Italian city of Florence is taking steps to reduce overtourism, introducing measures including a ban on key boxes used by short-term rentals and tour guide loudspeakers, amid complaints that the increase in visitors has become unsustainable.
With stunning Renaissance art and architecture, Florence, in Tuscany, has long been popular with travelers. But like many other places in Italy and elsewhere, it has seen a drastic increase in tourists in recent years, leading to a backlash from residents who have been forced out of their homes.
This week, as the city prepares to host tourism ministers from the G7 group of the world’s most advanced economies, authorities approved a 10-point plan to tackle the problem, presented by Mayor Sarah Funaro.
On the firing line are key boxes — combination-protected key boxes used by short-term rental landlords to facilitate easy guest check-in — that will be limited in the UNESCO-protected city center, known for masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Giotto and Brunelleschi.
Recently, these boxes have been the target of vandalism, with frustrated locals sealing them with red Xs.
Restrictions will be placed on “atypical vehicles” such as golf carts that have become increasingly popular for tour guides who take visitors around the city in areas where car traffic is restricted. The regulation also prohibits the use of amplifiers and loudspeakers for tour guides.
The measures aim to make the Tuscan capital a “vibrant and unique city” for both visitors and residents, the city council said in a statement.
The Florence council said the restrictions were prompted by an influx of tourism that had become unsustainable for residents who live there permanently. He says that more than 7.8 million people visited Florence in the first nine months of 2024.
“The city is no longer able to support, without weakening its heritage value and jeopardizing its overall livability, such a huge presence of activities and funds for exclusive tourist use concentrated in only five square kilometers,” the city council said.
Florence has suffered a number of recent incidents of tourists behaving badly. This summer, a female tourist was filmed imitating a sexual act on the Bacchus statue.
In January, the head of the Galleria dell’Accademia museum called the city a “prostitute” that had succumbed to excessive tourism.
“Once a city becomes a prostitute, it’s hard to become a virgin again,” said Cecilie Hollberg.
Florence is the latest of several destinations to introduce restrictions on mass tourism.
Last week, the archaeological site of Pompeii announced that it would limit daily visitors to 20,000 and require personalized tickets.
Venice also announced it will charge admission again next year during peak tourist rushes, and Rome’s Trevi Fountain will limit visitor access to the fountain after renovation work is completed in December, Rome’s mayor told CNN.
Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, who will host this week’s G7 summit, has argued that the country should increase the number of visitors to 50 million a year instead of reducing the number of tourists.
She suggested that excessive tourism in Italy is a product of mismanagement.
“I cannot agree with this word, over-tourism, however, I understand that we have areas where there are too many people,” she said during a tourism summit last week ahead of the G7.
“But the question we have to ask ourselves is this: Have we not destroyed the commerce that made our historic centers come alive for the communities in those areas?
“If instead of opening stores, we kept our stores and encouraged our excellence, maybe we would have less ‘eat and run’ tourism, which gives us little. It’s an economic law: to help the bottom, you have to grow the top.”
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