The mayors of Venice and Florence have submitted to the government in Rome a catalogue of proposals for the relaunch of tourism after the pandemic presented.

New focal points

Florence and Venice are preparing for a new start in tourism after the Corona crisis. At the moment, the whole of Italy is still in a renewed lockdown. But as soon as public life is back on track and travel to the two cities is possible again, they want to better regulate the flow of visitors. The mayors of Florence and Venice have now presented a corresponding concept with a ten-point catalogue.

The content of the programme presented includes, among other things, measures to bring tourism back up to a higher standard. For example, there should be more police work in both cities in the future. In addition, the mayors are calling for greater investment in public transport. Because in Venice alone, about 80 million euros are lost in 2020 due to the sale of tickets for public transport. In 2021, the loss will amount to 60 million euros, according to Luigi Brugnaro, mayor of Venice.

Rental limit for private individuals

The nine-page concept also introduces changes to the rental of holiday accommodation. For example, private individuals who rent out their apartments on platforms such as Airbnb will only be allowed to do so for 90 days a year. In addition, there is a restriction to a maximum of two holiday homes. This is to prevent private landlords from becoming too much competition for local hotels. 

In addition to new regulations for the rental of accommodation, Florence and Venice also want to fight vandalism and protect crafts and local productions. For example, there will be increased video surveillance and immediate fines if visitors cause damage to streets or monuments in the cities. 

The two city leaders also called on colleagues from other cultural cities in Italy to sign the catalogue of measures and the demands they contain for the government. It is important to offer a more sustainable tourism after the end of the pandemic, the mayors said.

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