one of the most visited cities begins to put limits on tourism

Officials in Florence, Italy, unveiled a new plan to solve tourism problems in the Tuscan city, which has been a privileged destination for tourists for more than three centuries.

The 10-point plan was announced recently, the same week that Florence hosted a meeting of senior tourism officials from the Group of 7 (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States). The coincidence is not coincidental.

“We are sending a clear message to G7 leaders that there is a need standards and tools to deal with constantly growing tourism that cannot and should not undermine the quality of life of residents,” Sara Funaro, mayor of Florence, wrote in an email.

Here’s what travelers should know about the measures.

The proposal prohibits the use of lockers outside accommodation located in the historic center of the city, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (for aesthetic and security reasons). Also golf carts are prohibitedlos strollers and other “atypical vehicles” for tourist purposes; Likewise, the amplifiers and speakers used by guides tourist. Such measures are intended to alleviate problems in some of the busiest areas of the city.

“The fact that we always remember is that 95% of the tourist presence in Florence It is concentrated in 5 square kilometerswho are the ones who suffer the most from tourist pressure,” Jacopo Vicini, Councilor for Economic Development and Tourism of Florence, said in a statement.

Other points of the plan aim to improve data sharing, policy coordination and consult local residents and businesses in terms of tourism.

“The message we want to give is that we care about our city, and we care that Florence can be attractive but, above all, livable for residents,” Funaro said. “Our main objective is to ensure that our city can maintain its roots, its nature and its identity”.

Florence – a city with about 367,000 inhabitants – received almost 9 million visitors who spent the night in 2023as well as 1.5 million more visitors for one day. And the mayor’s office says those numbers are increasing: In the first nine months of this year alone, more than 7.8 million overnight stays were recorded. For some, it’s too much.

“There are so many people who it is impossible to walk and enjoy the center of the city,” says Giulia Giannattasio, a Florence resident and receptionist at the three-star Hotel Bella Firenze near the train station. Giannattasio adds that the city is packed “every day of the year” and sees many visitors – mostly young American tourists – who seem to come only to party and get drunk.

“It’s bad for the residents because they can’t sleep at nightthey don’t feel safe and they don’t go out at night,” he said.

Funaro, the mayor, acknowledged that “coexistence between residents and tourists has become increasingly complex” since the pandemic, noting that the pressures are greater for residents of the city’s historic center.

He also acknowledged recent protests against tourist lockers used to access short-term vacation rentals, in which hundreds of city center lockers were covered in red tape. This is a problem “that we have been addressing for a long time,” Funaro said.

Florence authorities approved the proposal, but some of the measures, such as bans on lockers, atypical vehicles and loudspeakers, require new approvals or changes to municipal regulations before going into effect. The mayor’s office indicated that these measures should come into effect at the beginning of this 2025. Other points of the plan, including a communication campaign on sustainable tourism, are already underway.

Most visitors to the city will see few immediate repercussionsalthough bans on loudspeakers, golf carts, strollers and the like could make the travel experience more pleasant, especially in crowded areas.

Visitors opting for a short-term rental apartment in the historic city center will also find that owners use something other than a locker to allow entry to their accommodations. Instead, the owner may receive them in person.

For Marco Verzí, president of the Florence section of Federagit, a national association of guides and tour managers, the ban on safes is both a matter of maintaining the city’s historical identity and ensuring security.

“If access to the apartment is not controlled, then whoever made the reservation can forward the information to another person, and You cannot control who really has access to the department,” said Verzí, who has been a tour guide in Florence for two decades.

“We have been waiting for some of these measures for three years,” he added, referring to the new plan. “We are glad to see that the mayor is protecting the city from some obvious threats, to residents and tourists.”

Paige McClanahan / The Ney York Times