BARI – The thematic events of “Sprouts” are back, the meetings organized by the mayor Vito Leccese’s committee to build the program for the city of the future.
“In recent years, Bari has rediscovered a strong tourist attraction, so much so that it has become the fifth European destination according to the Lonely Planet guide – explained Leccese – However, we must introduce corrective measures. The great success of these years has made ours a city with many tourists, but not yet a tourist city. This growth must not come at the expense of the people of Bari. Young couples, families and university students have increasingly difficulty finding beds because private housing stock is often used for B&Bs, short-term rentals and holiday homes. It is necessary to reconcile the economic interests determined by this tourist vocation with those of the residents to avoid the gentrification that would cause Bari to lose its soul. I believe that a part of the tourist tax should be used to compensate residents for critical issues related to tourism”.
Among the requests that emerged during the meeting, animated by interventions from institutional representatives and sector operators, the need to protect the city’s identity was forcefully affirmed, with particular attention to the historic center and its traditions. The recurring theme in the interventions of the participants was the need to redefine the political direction by finding the right solutions to manage the impact of tourist flows. The proposals received from some towns were interesting: opening a part of the port to the city, also with a view to reconnecting with the sea, and providing equipped areas for special categories of tourists, such as campers for example.
“With the establishment of the tourist tax we have managed to create a database that will help us set up a new strategy for the future – explained the municipality’s tourism councilor Ines Pierucci in her speech – From 1 October to today in Bari 700 thousand people stayed overnight, making 1 million and 430 thousand euros available to the municipal coffers. Thanks to this system it is possible to monitor the flows day by day, so much so that we can know that today, as we are talking about it, there are 2,700 tourists in Bari. These numbers are important because they will help us increase and improve services.”
The next appointment with “Germogli” is scheduled for next Friday at 6 pm in via Argiro at the corner of Piazza Umberto (in the space in front of the committee) for the citizen assembly for the drafting of the government program.
