Around 500 thousand people are expected for the preparatory phase and the start of the first Florence-Rimini stage of the most important and followed cycling competition in the world which will start tomorrow for the first time from Italy. The occupancy rate of hotel and other facilities exceeds 90% with a novelty: a boom in presences on farm holidays. For Tuscany, the Grand Départ not only represents an opportunity for spectacle and entertainment, but is also a tool capable of generating important consequences. According to the survey carried out by the Tourist Studies Center of Florence in collaboration with Irpet, the Tour de France will lead to an increase of 20 million euros in the gross domestic product in the region, the creation of 400 jobs and an expenditure in the area of 29 .6 million. Over the four days of the event, there could be around 162 thousand spectators arriving in the city from outside the province: 66% excursionists and 34% overnight stays, of which 17% are foreign tourists.
“A very important event with an international appeal at a time of already high attendance. I am sure that there will be repercussions in the coming months as the beauty of Florence will be there for the world to see,” underlines Francesco Bechi, president of Federalberghi Confcommercio Firenze. The tourism component linked to the event will have an impact on the occupancy rate of accommodation facilities even in areas up to 50 kilometers from Florence, for an estimated 83 thousand overnight stays. This will translate into an increase in the occupancy rate of beds up to 90% in Florence (+17%) and 60% in other municipalities in the area (+9%). “In the center, hotels are almost fully booked. In adjacent areas, the occupancy rate is lower but, in the city, it stands at around 90%,” underlines Paola Lorenzini, coordinator of Cna Turismo. Who adds: “The consolidated flow of visitors from all over the world in June is joined by that linked to a segment of enthusiasts with a high purchasing power who have chosen to fully experience all the moments surrounding the Tour”. Those who stay outside the city will prefer formulas such as agritourism, more convenient to reach, economical and far from the jungle of prohibitions. The majority of foreigners in the city are Americans and Europeans.
Rossella Conte
