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The Independent
13-07-2025
- The Independent
No cruise ships, no rikshaws and a visitor tax: How popular tourist spots like Venice are tackling overtourism
In Florence's historic Piazza della Signoria, with the replica of Michelangelo's famous statue of David peering over them, dozens of golf carts gathered this week in protest. Their drivers are furious at new laws which will ban not only them, but all other novelty transport including rickshaws, from the city's historic centre. The move, which could be in place by September, is part of the city council's bid to reduce congestion in the city, according to newspaper Corriere Firenze. 'This is one of the most important measures in our ten-point plan for sustainable tourism,' councillor for economic development and tourism Jacopo Vicini told the newspaper. Florence is not alone in resorting to drastic measures to try and cut the number of visitors to their overcrowded streets. Venice - which has outlawed cruise ships for several years - has doubled its daily tourist tax to try and disuade the spontaneous day-tripper. Cannes, on the French riviera, has recently issued a decree banning ships of more than 1,000 people from mooring in the city. Deputy mayor of Venice Simone Venturini said that after decades of debate, the city - and other iconic city breaks - had had to take serious action to manage tourist flows. "Venice is a city as beautiful as it is fragile,' he said. 'No one has a magic wand. Neither Venice nor other European cities grappling with the consequences of overtourism have one. Each place is considering its own approach.' In many cities, residents have taken matters into their own hands. Last month, thousands gathered in major tourist destinations across southern Europe to protests against overtourism. During the 15 June demonstrations, protesters in Barcelona fired water pistols at shop windows and at tourists and chanted 'your holidays, my misery'. Concurrent protests were held in Portugal and Italy, organised by the SET alliance of Sud d'Europa contra la Turistització, or Southern Europe against Overtourism. In the run up to the protests, one of the organisations in the alliance Menys Turisme Mes Vida claimed that tourism impoverished people, making it hard for locals to access housing and diverting focus from public sector spending. Angry Venetians protested again when the wedding of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez drew celebrities and the world's media to the city for the multi-day spectacle, viewed by some as a symbol of the city's exploitation by wealthy visitors. And the city on water has been forced to take increasingly drastic action to try and stem the tide of overtourism. Cruise ships have been banned from entering the Venice lagoon and main Giudecca canal since August 2021, a move welcomed by Unesco after repeated warnings that the large vessels were damaging the iconic city. Are the solutions perfect? Currently, cruise ships that would have previously docked in Venice now moor further up the coast in places such as Trieste, and daytrippers are instead bussed down the autostrada to see the city. But after a brief trial last year, Venice also recently reintroduced its day tripper tax, charging tourists not staying on the islands €5 for the privilege of visiting. From April this year, tourists are now charged €10 for that privilege unless they book at least four days in advance. 'Operationally, the system we have developed has had no hitches, and most importantly, tourists have demonstrated that they understand the underlying message: Venice is a fragile city that requires protection and respect,' Mr Venturini said. He added that the point of the tax was to discourage day-trippers, and while data from the initial trial was still being analysed, it has already helped the city identify about 10,000 people who were living in the city without being officially registered as residents, helping to highlight undeclared tourist accommodation. He also acknowledged it was just one piece of the puzzle, and Venice is also working on other measures including restricting the number of low-quality souvenir and takeaway shops in key areas to help make tourism more sustainable. At the end of June, Cannes announced its 'drastic regulation' on cruise ships, banning any vessels carrying more than 1,000 people from mooring in the city from the beginning of next year. Thomas De Pariente, deputy to the mayor of Cannes, said tourism is a significant part of the city's economy, worth 50 per cent of local economic output and bringing in 14,000 related jobs. The industry is continuing to grow, Mr De Pariente said. There were more than 3.9 million overnight stays in Cannes in 2024, an increase of 100,000 stays compared to 2023. 'Cannes has historically been a welcoming town,' he said but added that the city 'rejects the principle of overtourism'. 'The quality of life of Cannes residents and visitors alike is the prime concern of the town council, which is scrupulous about maintaining the balance between economic dynamism and wellbeing.' While hopeful that these measures can help return tourism to sustainable levels, officials are clear-eyed about the challenges. As Mr Venturini said: 'We do not delude ourselves that a global phenomenon like overtourism can change in just a few weeks.'
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Telegraph
Cycle rickshaws banned to tackle over-tourism in Florence
Florence has become the first city in Europe to ban bicycle rickshaws to tackle over-tourism. Officials said transporting tourists in the three-wheeled 'atypical vehicles', or in golf carts, would no longer be permitted in the Tuscan capital's Unesco-listed centre. The historic city is struggling to manage hordes of tourists in crowded areas. Andrea Giorgio, the city's transport chief, said: 'We have decided to intervene because the situation has become unsustainable, with hundreds of golf carts stopping in every street and in every piazza in the historic centre.' Furious motorists called for a crackdown after 15 million tourists flocked to Florence last year, making it nearly impossible to drive in the streets, and forcing many of the city's 367,000 residents to leave. Jacopo Vicini, the city councillor for tourism, said: 'We urgently needed to limit golf carts, which have increased in parallel with tourism. 'There are about 150 now and they line up in Piazza Duomo where the drivers tout for business.' A small fleet of 24 white electric carts, each with an eight-person capacity, will be given exemption to drive along a fixed route, Mr Vicini added. In London, there has been public support for controlling the use of pedicabs, as cycle rickshaws are sometimes known. Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, said ' rip-off rickshaw riders ' gave London a bad name and called for garishly decorated and extortionately priced rickshaws to be banned. Last month, in a consultation by Transport for London, more than 95 per cent of the 7,700 responders said pedicab drivers should be insured and have their music volume kept in check. More than 75 per cent said they felt unsafe when using a pedicab in the British capital. The ban in Florence is the latest in a series of efforts to tackle over-tourism. It has also cracked down on short-term rental flats, which account for a third of all properties in the city centre and cause prices to surge. The city sent out police to remove 400 eyesore keysafes fixed to railings and lamp posts, which allowed tourists to enter rented flats without meeting the owners. In November, local officials also banned amplifiers and loudspeakers used by tour guides. They claimed that swarms of visitors to the historic centre were 'weakening its heritage value and seeing its overall liveability compromised'.
Local Italy
09-05-2025
- Business
- Local Italy
Florence to clamp down on short-term holiday rentals amid housing crisis
The new rules, due to come into force on May 21st, involve the creation of a municipal register of tourist rentals. Under the act, which aims to put the brakes on the rapidly expanding number of tourist rentals and make more homes available for locals amid a severe housing crisis, the council would issue permits to registered holiday lets. These permits would have a five-year validity period and be tied to both the property and the owner, meaning they would become void in the event of a sale. Properties that aren't rented out to tourists over a 12-month period would lose their permits, though this wouldn't apply to landlords who rent their place under longer, non-tourist contracts, for at least 30 days at a time. The act also includes a ban on new holiday rentals in Florence's historic centre – a measure the city council first attempted to pass two years ago, but that has faced staunch opposition from landlords. In addition, the act introduces strict new regulations governing minimum property size (at least 28 square metres for couples and families) as well as safety requirements, including the installation of carbon monoxide detectors and access to fire extinguishers. Holiday lets attached to the landlord's primary residence, such as a bedroom in someone's home, are excluded from the rules. A task force coordinated by local police would be set up to conduct checks and enforce the regulations, according to Italian media. Those found illegally letting their properties in violation of the rules could face fines of between €1,000 and €10,000. People in many parts of Italy have struggled to find rental accommodation in recent years due to a lack of affordable housing – a problem that in popular tourist destinations like Florence is compounded by landlords' preference for highly profitable short-term lets. Mayor Sara Funaro, from the centre-left Democratic Party, said the act's passage represented 'an important day for Florence'. 'We need a city not only with rules for short-term tourist rentals but also a city where the real estate market is sustainable for citizens," she said. Jacopo Vicini, Florence's tourism and economic development councillor, said the council expected to see an 'immediate containment' of the rapid growth in tourist rentals and a reversal of the trend within three years as a result of the regulations - though didn't explain how it had arrived at those estimates. Italy's government in January launched its own national register of tourist lets to curb overtourism and tackle tax evasion; however, as of late February, only 78 percent of landlords in Florence had complied, despite those who flout the rules facing fines of up to €8,500. Local right-wing groups and landlords associations said they would appeal Florence's new rules in Tuscany's regional courts. The regulations are 'a set of oppressive and illegitimate rules, which aim to discourage free enterprise and punish those who rent out their homes,' said Marco Stella, a Tuscan regional councillor and member of the Forza Italia party. 'It is clear that those who impose these rules hate the production of wealth and jobs.' Lorenzo Fagnoni, president of Property Managers Italia and CEO of Apartments Florence, said the act was 'an illogical and discriminatory forcing that we will oppose with every possible legal instrument."
