Italy is cracking down on mass tourism by introducing a new rule that could change everything.
The country’s latest tightening of its tourism measures means that visitors staying in short-let rentals in Italy will no longer be able to self check-in to their holiday accommodation, following a ban issued by the Italian interior ministry.
Tourists used to be able to use key boxes to enter holiday lets without having to meet the owner in person, with guests simply being given a code online when they book a property.
However the ban, which affects all forms of tourist accommodation but is aimed particularly at short-term rentals, means guests are now required to check-in in person.
The rental owner must also send details and identity documents of the travellers staying at the property to the police 24 hours before the guests arrive.
The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gaultieri, called the ban “good news for everyone” and said it would mark the end of “the padlocks and boxes that disfigure our streets and prevent adequate security checks”.
The Italian interior ministry said the ban, which came into force on November 18, will “prevent public order and safety risks in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous individuals or those linked to criminal or terrorist organisations”.
The statement added “the automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk it “could be occupied by one or more individuals whose identities remain unknown to the relevant police authorities posing a potential danger to the community”.
This news comes just a week after Florence pushed back against the surge in tourism-focused properties by taking a tough stance on Airbnb-like properties, becoming the first city in Italy to install a block on new short-term rentals.
Jacopo Vicini, Florence’s councilor for economic development and tourism, believes short-term rentals in the city “have had a very significant impact on the cost and availability of local housing”.
Last month, Vicini announced a ten point plan to tackle overtourism and protect the historic city.
Many of the measures involve an increasing use of AI and digital data to monitor tourist activity in and around the city.
