TRENT. L’overtourism? The most affected are Venice And Milan, Florence And Rome. It can not miss Rimini for summer. But there are also among the destinations Bolzano And Trentincluded among the provincial destinations most at risk.
This is what emerges fromOverall index of tourist overcrowding (Icst), conceived in a still experimental way by Demoskopikawith the aim of evaluating overtourism overall through a combination of 5 indicators that reflect different dimensions of tourism impact.
The tourism is central to the economy of many areas but the mass one involves more than a few reflections on the direct and indirect effects of overcrowding in a destination. The management of those activities that remain behind the scenes is also changing: water resources with a rapidly growing demand and waste to be disposed of, for example.
In front of undeniable benefits for a communitytourism, accentuated in overtoursim, it can mean rising property pricesthe congestion of public spacesthe loss of purchasing power for residents, imbalance between visitors and residents, seasonal work is highly precarious in the sectorthe transformation of the commercial fabric and the impact on the environment.
A dynamic that has repercussions, for example, on the job market. Employee contracts are predominantly a fixed term (82.8%). In 7.4% of cases the form of is also used intermittent work. This contractual method allows us to cope with variations in demand that are difficult to satisfy through normal programming. The typology of jobs is different. The 40,000 in the tourism sector that mark the difference between cities and valleys are 91% occupied by foreigners and only 9,000 are permanent.
“Why shouldn’t everyone in South Tyrol benefit directly from tourism?” he asks Paul Köllensperger, provincial councilor in South Tyrol at altitude Team K. “I have never doubted that tourism is among the main pillars of our province’s economy, but we run the risk of losing the consensus of important parts of society due to its uncontrolled growth. It should also be undeniable that tourism ‘commercialises’ common goods such as mountains, landscape, environment and infrastructure, also financed with taxpayers’ money, and which therefore the community should also have a fair return”.
Alto Adige is the first European case of a limited number of beds on a provincial scale, while there is the Braies model. There is a search for balanced flow management. And the last hypothesis is to use part of the income from the tourist tax to make mobility universal in a certain sense, free for residents.
A higher tourist tax for guests and aimed at public coffers, “I think is appropriate and justified”, he continues Köllensperger. “The few euros currently foreseen, which among other things only benefit the tourism sector itself and the IDM, are not even remotely sufficient to cover the costs of the waste produced, the waste water, the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, of the use of public transport and so on that tourism causes and which burdens us all. It must be the South Tyroleans who benefit from tourism and not the other way around.”
The annual presences in the South Tyrolean territory reach i 36 million“it would be possible to raise several hundred million euros for the community by applying a tax paid by guests and staggered based on the number of overnight stays: the longer the stay, the lower the amount and, in relation to the price of the room, the higher the category, the more expensive the fee,” he adds Köllensperger. “These revenues should then be used for free public transport (also) for residents, for the rental of social housing at reasonable costs for families and young people, to finance care allowances and to promote innovation, start-ups up and more. The situation must therefore be reversed: tourism must generate resources for the community, instead of using more and more of them for tourist infrastructures, IDMs or Guest Cards”.
From Venice to Bavaria, from Barcelona to Japan, destinations are wondering about overtourism, the dark side of tourism. “The theme arises, to date, in specific periods of the year and in specific areas of Trentino but I would say of the Alps in general, if we talk about mountain worlds”, the speech the Dolomites Of Albert Ballardini, vice president of Trentino Sviluppo. “A careful analysis of flows and an integrated mobility and parking plan are among the priorities to work on: Province, Municipalities, tourism companies and the new Atas hinged on Trentino Marketing, they are committed in this direction because destinations are looking for solutions that are not simple but necessary” (Article here).
From Molveno to Tenno, even in Trentino there is no shortage of studies, analyzes and experiments in search of the best possible management of arrivals. “There are some situations of strong peak but which are still under control”, comments thecouncilor Roberto Failoni. “And this is why deseasonalization has been encouraged for some years now. “We focus on the traditionally less frequented periods to develop a flow over the 12 months. This helps a better distribution of attendance.”
Deseasonalization could be favored by changing the school calendar for diversify your holidays. “It is a national matter. Almost all European states have a different organization of holidays, even compared to the winter weeks. This change also in Italy it could certainly facilitate the promotion of other periods”.
In Trentino, a revision of the system is not on the agenda City tax. “The adaptation took place a couple of years ago and for now there is no new intervention planned”, highlights Failoni. “The matter must be discussed with the Municipalities and the Tourist Offices, almost 100% of this instrument ends up in the tourism companies. Then you can reflect but a decision must be made in agreement between all stakeholders“.
Connected to the tourist tax is the Guest card, a formidable promotional tool, but which risks devaluing some attractions. “The monitoring it is constant and when a center is successful there are the necessary updates. The value is very high because it allows free access to transport, a way to convey sustainability”, concludes Failoni.
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