Boundaries: Between private property and government decisions regarding our homes

Sebastian Ebel, chief executive of Tui, the world’s leading tourism group, has sounded the alarm over Italia and Spain, the two European Union countries that ‘have reached the peak of their infrastructure capacity’. The forecast is that other nations will be able, in the near future, to capture ever-larger shares of the market, thanks to infrastructure development. The countries rising fastest in this regard are undoubtedly Turkey and Morocco. Or indeed Croatia, whose boom is due to the growth of short-term rentals, an issue that is causing major disruption worldwide, on which it is imperative to set aside ideology and instead devise industrial policy strategies.

The labour market and the property market are no longer moving in step, and one of the biggest problems facing our country – and others too – is the housing shortage. This issue is inextricably linked to tourism and its exponential manifestation, overtourism, a phenomenon that affects both major cities and smaller towns, such as Florence. The diversification of residential property uses is one of the factors that has made the rental market increasingly unstable, with consequences for the property sales market as well. Until about twenty years ago, homes in our cities were mainly used for long-term residence or medium-term stays, such as those of university students. In recent years, however, the proportion of accommodation used for tourism purposes has risen dramatically. This is both a cause and a consequence of overtourism.

It is easy to see the consequences that such a problem might cause. In fact, two further factors must be taken into account. The first is this: the ability to buy a home depends increasingly on family wealth. Then there is the difficulty governments face in implementing effective social housing programmes. To address all this, the European Union intends to step in by encroaching on citizens’ private assets and introducing absurd regulations, including restrictions on owners’ freedom to sell or let their properties.

These are the topics covered in the seventh episode of *Confini*, the programme produced by Sole 24 Ore TV and NextMed, broadcast every Thursday at 9.00 pm on channel 63 of digital terrestrial television. Joining the presenter Simone Spetia and Claudio Antonelli , deputy editor of 24Ore NextMed , to discuss these issues are the president of Confedilizia, Giorgio Spaziani Testa, the former mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, and Sole 24 Ore journalist Giuseppe Latour. A feature delves into the tourism sector in Montenegro, whilst a report from Genoa shows how the city adapts to the influx of cruise passengers during a major event such as the Boat Show.

Watch the episode