Overtourism and online short-term rental platforms in Italian cities

Abstract

Although Italian cities have undergone several waves of touristification, concerns about overtourism have only recently become widespread. In the article, we suggest that the diffusion of short-term rental platforms is not merely a concomitant factor, but is crucial to understanding the how and where of contemporary overtourism. To this end we apply a fractal methodology to identify, map and compare those parts of the city that are most affected, and measure the pressure short-term rentals have on city centres as places of residence. By allowing the conversion of residential apartments into tourist accommodation, we argue, short term rentals contribute to the displacement of residents more directly than a generic process of gentrification or touristification. Second, platforms such as Airbnb not only contribute to increasing the accommodation capacity of urban areas, but radically change the morphology of the tourist city. The growing concerns about overtourism are not due to the rising number of tourists per se, but to their increasing penetration into the residential city. We suggest, therefore, that to conceive of overtourism merely as overcrowding is not only inadequate but counterproductive. Even though the depopulation of city centres is difficult to reverse, the coronavirus emergency is an opportunity to plan a different city where tourism coexists with other urban uses and functions.

VGLM proportional odds model to infer hosts’ Airbnb performance

“…Moreover, analyzing Figures 1 and 2, we observe how the Airbnb accommodations are located near the city center and tourist attractions. These findings are totally in line with the view expressed in Gutiérrez et al (2017), which argues that Airbnb accommodations are located close to the main attractions; the results of Dudás et al (2017), which confirm that Airbnb accommodations are concentrated in specific areas of tourist cities; and the observations of Romano (2021) and Celata and Romano (2022) that city centers of the most historical and tourist cities in Italy are occupied by Airbnb accommodations.…”

Socio‐cultural impacts of peer‐to‐peer accommodation on host communities

“…The number of cars increases (Jordan & Moore, 2018;Martín et al, 2018;Martín et al, 2019;Petruzzi et al, 2020), which in turn increases traffic problems (Mody et al, 2019;Yeager et al, 2019), such as congestion (Cheng, Houge Mackenzie, et al, 2020;Martín et al, 2018;Martín et al, 2019;Park & Agrusa, 2020;Stienmetz et al, 2019;von der Heidt et al, 2020) and competition for parking (Caldicott et al, 2020;Cheng, Houge Mackenzie, et al, 2020;Gurran & Phibbs, 2017;Molz, 2018;Palombo, 2015;Park & Agrusa, 2020;Wegmann & Jiao, 2017). Such factors contribute to overtourism in typically residential areas (Celata & Romano, 2022;Jordan & Moore, 2018;Molz, 2018;Pasquinelli & Trunfio, 2020;Paulauskaite et al, 2017;WBG, 2018).…”

“…Goffman (2005) and Ludvigsen (2005) suggest four different levels of interaction-distributed attention, shared focus, dialog, or collective action-which may be applied in the peer-to-peer accommodation context. Findings also indicate a rising in residential prices and decreasing in the availability of housing for long-term residents, which lead to a local population exodus and gentrification (e.g., Celata & Romano, 2022). The consequences that many destinations and organizations of peer-to-peer accommodation are facing due to the pandemic of Covid-19 (Brammer et al, 2020) will probably not be enough to reduce housing (in)stability in the local community and to give the cities back to their residents.…”

“…This scenario emerging from adherence to the SE forces residents to leave the neighborhood (Celata & Romano, 2022; Gallardo et al, 2019; Gant, 2016; Garcia‐Ayllon, 2018; Llop, 2017). Many struggle to find a place due to the high prices (Stergiou & Farmaki, 2019) and reduced availability (Cocola‐Gant & Gago, 2019; Griffiths et al, 2019).…”

Price indicators for Airbnb accommodations

“…Pantheon), as well as the number of bus stops within 200 ms. Some researchers have discovered that Airbnb accommodations are often close to the main tourist attractions (see for instance Gutiérrez et al (2017); Romano (2021); Celata and Romano (2022)); concentrated in specific areas of tourist cities (see for instance Dudás et al (2017)); and located in areas that are attractive and accessible by public transport (Quattrone et al 2016(Quattrone et al , p. 1391. Moreover, the same researchers have investigated the impact of distance to the nearest bus stop, to the nearest bus/train station, or to the city center (see for instance Voltes-Dorta and Sánchez-Medina (2020)).…”