Leaders in Florence, Italy, have unveiled a new plan to tackle problems with tourism in the Tuscan city, which has been a prime destination for leisure travelers for more than three centuries.
The 10-point plan was announced earlier this week — the same week that Florence is hosting a meeting of high-level tourism officials from the Group of 7 nations (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States). The timing was not a coincidence.
“We’re sending a clear message to G7 leaders that there is a need for rules and tools to deal with an ever-growing tourism that cannot and must not undermine the quality of life of residents,” Sara Funaro, the mayor of Florence, wrote in an email.
Here is what travelers need to know about the measures.
What is Florence aiming to ban?The proposal includes a ban on the use of lockboxes outside accommodations within the city’s UNESCO-listed historic center (in response to both aesthetic and safety concerns). There are also bans on golf carts, rickshaws and other “atypical vehicles” for the purposes of tourism; amplifiers and loudspeakers used by tour guides will also be prohibited. Such measures are intended to ease challenges in some of the city’s most crowded areas.
“The data that we always remember is that 95 percent of the tourist presence in Florence is concentrated in five square kilometers, which are those that suffer the most from tourist pressure,” Jacopo Vicini, Florence’s councilor for economic development and tourism, said in a statement.
Other points in the plan aim to improve data sharing, policy coordination and consultation with local residents and businesses on tourism.
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