FLORENCE. The start of the Tour de France on June 29th will bring around 730 thousand people to Florence and will generate revenues of 54 million euros. But also a general increase in housing prices, with average rates that will increase by almost 30 percent compared to the same period in 2023. This is supported by a study on the tourism impact of the Tour de France carried out by Data Appeal, a company that based on proprietary algorithms , machine learning and semantic analysis collects, measures and analyzes all the feedback published online, then combining it with geographical and contextual data.
A report whose rate numbers do not find Federalberghi nor the hotels section of Confindustria Florence in agreement, while in general they arouse a certain concern in Confcommercio.
The numbers
The Data Appeal study analyzes the tourism impact on the Italian cities of the Tour de France. Florence, home of the Grand Départ on 29 June, is the city after Nice, home of the arrival, where accommodation prices (hotels + short-term rentals) grow more than on the same date last year due to the influx of fans and participants: + 28.89%, with average rates going from 270 to 348 euros. If we look at the detail of short-term rentals, Florence sees a 37.33% increase in average rates, going from 217 to 298 euros. A percentage that places it in second place among the Italian cities visited by the Tour after Rimini (+42.24%). The increase in average hotel rates (hotels, B&Bs, hostels, farmhouses) was more limited with a +26.60% (from 282 to 357 euros) compared to the same period last year.
«The expected increase in employment is in line with the attractive power of a world-class event like the Tour de France but also with the very positive trend of the months of May and June – says Stefano Rosselli, president of the hotels section of Confindustria Florence – Personally, however, I have some reservations about such high average rates, even if a positive season is expected. We are certainly seeing the return of Asian tourists who until last year had problems obtaining visas.”
The president of the Federalberghi Firenze, Francesco Bechi, is even more skeptical about the extent of the tariff increase. «It is true that tariffs have increased compared to last year but it was physiological, far from that indicated by the report – he explains – the real increase, if anything, occurred last year, which was the first in which, after the pandemic, we had a full season.” «Let’s be clear, the rates do not necessarily increase – he adds – but they adapt to the management costs and the pressure caused by an event like the Tour de France in a high season period».
Concern for the management of the city
The Data Appeal report predicts that the Tour de France will lead to a total expenditure of 901.3 million euros, of which almost 56 in Florence alone. Most of the spending will concern catering (25.9 million) while the rest will be distributed between accommodation (18.4 million) and transport (10.5 million). While the figures cited can only please, there is some concern for the management of the city at the end of June. «The start of the Tour de France is an extraordinary calling card and a great opportunity for the whole city, but I am worried» begins Aldo Cursano, president of Confcommercio Toscana. «Florence is already a blocked city, there are construction sites everywhere and the month of June, already full of important events, will end with the start of a major event like the Tour de France which will block it even more». «If the pressure of all this is not managed adequately – he explains – there is the risk that it will turn into a boomerang, that is, there is the risk that the services we provide will turn into inefficiencies. As always, we will do our part – he concludes – but my hope is that those responsible will be able to accompany the unfolding of such an important event in the best possible way, simplifying the lives of those who live and work in the city”.
«We must be proud to host the start of the Tour de France – adds the president of Federalberghi Florence – we have always asked for big events and this is a great marketing operation that will show Florence to the whole world. It is clear that in those days the city will be under pressure and that this pressure will have to be managed by those who have the expertise.” «In this regard, let’s not get confused – adds Bechi – we must distinguish between overtourism and overcrowding. In Florence there are many people every day but it is certainly not those who stay overnight in the city that prevent you from moving through the streets. It is enough to go to Piazza Santa Maria Novella early in the morning to realize that it is the volume of daily stays that floods the streets of the historic center and consequently also shapes the offer of certain services. We have been talking for years about discouraging daily stays and instead rewarding those who stay in the city – concludes the president of Federalberghi Florence – we will certainly do so also with the next municipal administration”.
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