The Role of Technology in Managing Overtourism: The Case of the Historic Centre of Florence
摘要
The purpose of this research is to provide a detailed picture of the development of the tourism phenomenon within a World Heritage Site, specifically the Historic Centre of Florence. Understanding the current state of affairs is essential for creating strategies that can sustainably relaunch tourism, expanding the focus to a broader territorial context and other sites that on the contrary are experiencing undertourism, such as the Medici Villas and Gardens. In this context, the Municipal Administration has adopted a restrictive policy aimed at improving the livability of the site, through an amendment to the urban planning instrumentation. Simultaneously, an analytical approach based on innovative technologies has been developed within the research activities of the Heritage Research Joint Laboratory to reconstruct the growth, development, and scenarios of overtourism. The phenomenon of overtourism has been analyzed using a database system structured with tourist density indicators and geolocation data within a Geographic Information System. Currently, the collected data is used only partially, lacking a comprehensive, systemic approach to its analysis and utilization. Efforts are now being made to integrate and expand this information through an integrated Information System for the unified management of the data collected on the territory. This system will support and provide crucial assistance for policy makers in their decision-making processes. In line with the principles of the International Charter for Cultural Tourism and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, the paper aims to illustrate strategies in the area of land governance that focus on diversified management of tourism activities.