Florence tackles tourism: Key box ban to protect city centre
The authorities in Florence have implemented measures to mitigate the adverse effects of mass tourism and enhance residents' quality of life. The new set of regulations, which consists of ten points, includes a ban on using popular key boxes that allow tourists to enter a flat without personal contact with the owner.
Florence is introducing new measures to curb excessive tourism. These regulations are intended to shield the historic city centre from the negative consequences of the vast influx of visitors.
New regulations in Florence
This week, Mayor Sara Funaro's cabinet approved a ten-point action plan focused on safeguarding the local community and preserving the city’s authentic character.
Starting next year, Florence will introduce a ban on using key boxes in the historic city centre. These boxes symbolise the burgeoning short-term rental market in the city's heart. Metal boxes, from which tourists pick up keys to rented flats for self-check-in, indicate a growing number of accommodations available on platforms like Airbnb.
Critics argue that such practices deny local residents access to affordable housing and lead to the depopulation of historic city centres. The city council has announced that, starting next year, these boxes will be prohibited in the UNESCO-listed centre of Florence "for reasons of decorum and safety."
The new mayor of the city, Sara Funaro, stated in an interview with the "Telegraph" that she aims to promote "a more sustainable model of tourism, manage tourist numbers and improve the quality of life for residents." She emphasised, "You just have to walk through the city centre, and you will see how many key boxes there are on historic palazzi."
Florence has long been fighting short-term rental
According to the national statistics office ISTAT, in 2023, Italy was visited by a record 134 million tourists, and 451 million people stayed in hotels or other registered accommodations. The number of guests using non-hotel accommodations increased by nearly 17% compared to 2022.
Last year, Florence already announced a ban on new short-term private rentals in the city centre, in an effort to halt the departure of residents.
The city authorities have repeatedly called upon the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to introduce special regulations limiting the number of days properties can be let to 120 per year. Thus far, only Venice has received permission to restrict short-term rentals and has introduced a levy for day-trippers to help manage the influx of visitors.
