Measures for sustainable tourism

Ten key measures outlining Florence’s tourism strategies and outlook for 2026 were recently presented at the former Church of San Carlo dei Barnabiti.

The plan, entitled “Destination Florence 2026 – For the Sustainable Development of the City,” was promoted by the City of Florence in collaboration with Fondazione Destination Florence. The event was attended by Mayor Sara Funaro and City Councilor for Economic Development and Tourism Jacopo Vicini, who reviewed the results achieved over the past year and set out objectives for the year ahead.

Speaking at the conference held on December 5, 2025, Mayor Sara Funaro stated:

“When we add this 2026 decalogue to the ten points presented, approved, and implemented last year, our vision for Florence becomes clear, as does our idea of how the city should be lived in. We are placing strong emphasis on beauty, quality of public spaces, decorum, rules, and respect for the law. Together, these elements define the Florence we want: a livable city for residents and for those who visit it. This vision shapes the image of our community and our city that we present to the world, and we want that image to be of a Florence that is both beautiful and sustainable.”

During the conference, Councilor Jacopo Vicini also recalled the ten points of the 2025 Decalogue, which have already been implemented: Ban on the use of key boxes in UNESCO areas and adoption of criteria, guidelines, and limits for short-term tourist rentals; Limits on atypical vehicles; Ban on the use of amplifiers and loudspeakers by tour guides; Common criteria for displaying the National Identification Code (CIN); Implementation of controls on tourism services, including through IT tools; Communication campaigns on sustainable tourism; Collaboration with the main OTA platforms and Online Travel Agencies; Permanent working group with public and private stakeholders coordinated by Fondazione Destination Florence; Steering committee for tourism policy planning; Implementation of the Tourism Dashboard to consolidate all data on tourism in Florence.

During the conference, moderated by Giovanni Carta, other speakers included Laura Masi, President of Fondazione Destination Florence; Carlotta Ferrari, General Manager of Fondazione Destination Florence; Iban Rabasa, Director, Government & Corporate Affairs Southern Europe, Expedia Group; Francesc Serrano Martin, Founder & CEO of Talk & Code; and Elisa Guidi, ARTEX Coordinator.

The ten points of the 2026 Decalogue were presented in detail by City Councilor Jacopo Vicini:

“These are the areas on which we will concentrate our efforts over the coming year of our mandate, just as we did in 2025, achieving tangible results through teamwork involving the entire municipal administration, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, all relevant offices, the Municipal Police, and the invaluable daily collaboration of the Fondazione Destination Florence.”

THE TEN POINTS FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY

New NCC regulations: “Since 1997, the NCC (chauffeur driven transport) regulations in our city have been the same, while the reality has changed in the meantime; we will need to update them based on the principle of protecting our fragile city, which needs organized and regulated tourism.”
Enhancement and protection of tourism jobs: “Tourism jobs are often described as undervalued; together with the unions and trade associations, and Councilor Dario Danti, we are committed to enhancing and improving them, especially in the hotel sector. We are confident that we will achieve important goals by 2026.”
Urban balance – monitoring the short-term rental phenomenon: “In 2025, we approved the regulation on short-term tourist rentals. We are now continuing to monitor its effects. This is a highly sensitive issue, and maintaining balance in our city is essential. We will soon receive Professor Filippo Celata’s report, which will present the findings of his research. This is clearly a phenomenon that will require ongoing attention.”
Digital legality – stop online irregularities: “This is an issue we will continue to address. For example, it is unacceptable for two properties to appear on major platforms using the same CIN. At the same time, we will focus on combating fake or misleading web pages, which undermine the credibility of our cultural institutions and of the city itself.”
Governance of tourist buses and day visitors: “This is a major challenge. Today, Alessandro Tortelli, Director of the Florence Tourist Board, shared significant data on visitor flows and tourist buses entering the city. We will dedicate 2026 to improving governance in this area. In 2025 alone, tourist buses reached 60,000, while millions of people enter the city every day. We intend to establish a working group involving institutions, cruise operators, and the many organizations represented here today.”
Destination rebranding – a single portal: “We will launch a new communication strategy and a single official destination portal. This platform will serve as the primary reference point for presenting the city in a coherent and targeted way, becoming our main showcase for attracting high-quality tourism.”
City Wi-Fi to inform and build loyalty: “This project is already being implemented behind the scenes and demonstrates the scale of the numbers involved. In October alone, 16,000 users connected to our Wi-Fi network, providing their email addresses and allowing us to stay in touch. Some are residents, from whom we can gather feedback and ideas; others are tourists we hope will return, exploring lesser-known areas of the city. Through this system, we are building a database that enables us to maintain relationships and invest in visitors who wish to return to Florence.”
Diversifying and deseasonalizing – leadership in MICE & Weddings: “Investment in the MICE and wedding sectors is essential. Thanks to the strong collaboration with Fondazione Destination Florence and Firenze Fiera, we already hold a leading position in Italy. We aim to strengthen this leadership by focusing on high-quality events during periods of lower tourist demand.”
Florence Reward for virtuous behavior: “It will be a surprise initiative, requiring significant effort, but we are committed to it. We have studied the experience of Copenhagen, which introduced incentives to reward sustainable tourist behavior. We want to do the same. It will not be a game, but we believe it can deliver tangible results.”
Redevelopment of markets of tourist interest: “This is a complex but essential challenge. In 2026, we plan to redevelop markets of major tourist interest, including San Lorenzo, Piazzale Michelangelo, and Piazza Santa Croce. The fourth phase of the public space retail plan will provide an important opportunity to improve decorum, protect public spaces, and strike a balance between business interests and residents’ needs.”