The phenomenon of mass tourism: the presentation of a study on the economic impact of tourism on the metropolitan area of Florence was held.
The work took place on Thursday 21 November 2019 in Florence at the Chamber of Commerce Auditorium with the presence of representatives of the Centro Studi Turistici and Ipert who realized the study it at the request of the Chamber of Commerce.
The purpose of the study was to present the official data collected by the Metropolitan City, such as arrivals, presences, characteristics of the accommodation facilities and so on. It represents the survey directed at a sample of tourists, up to the estimate of the production, the added value and the employment benefits that visitors’ spending generates on the entire economic system of the territory.
For the purposes of assessment of the economic impact it was necessary to estimate the total amount of tourist presences in the area: official tourists, unofficial tourists and other hikers. In 2018 Florence has been visited by over 27.7 million people. The average per capita daily expenditure of the official and “unofficial” tourist is € 135.9, which makes the total amount of tourist spending more than € 3 billion for the year.
The survey of tourists shows the satisfaction of the journey. Almost 70% of the sample most probably would repeat the holiday experience.
In all areas of the Metropolitan City, the capacity for accommodation has increased. Overall, the average growth rate was + 13.8%.
The overall opinion of the tourist is 8.4 out of a total of 10. Foreigners express a global vote above the average (8.6). Many tourists have expressed their intention to return to the territory. At the same time the number of people who have the first experience of visiting this area has been declining each year.
Let’s look at the profile of the tourist in Florence: the median age of about 42.7 years, average tourist travels mainly in pairs (35.8%) or in the family (26.5%).
The artistic and cultural heritage is the main motivation for travel and 70% of tourists carry out transfers to places other than the residence for visits and excursions.
The tourist demand in the Metropolitan City and in the Municipality of Florence presents a positive statistic. Speaking of the first 8 months of the 2019 season, we can learn that the number of tourists arrived has grown by about 8 thousand units. The researchers believe that for the preservation of statistics it is necessary to constantly innovate the tourist offer.
The study revealed the level of satisfaction of the tourist that indicates the aspects that should be improved, such as local transport, signage and traffic, accessibility and services for guests with special needs. Therefore, the improvement of the system and promotion of the tourist offer serves not only for its relevance, but above all because it manages to create a turnover for the other sectors of the economy as well.
Tourism is an essential urban resource and consequently is the subject of continuous reflection and changes by all operators in the sector at every level.
