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 affecting both major cities and smaller towns, such as Florence. The diversification of uses of residential property 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 tourist purposes has risen dramatically. This is both a cause and a consequence of overtourism.

It is easy to see the repercussions 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 all this, the European Union seeks to respond 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 today’s episode of Confini, the programme from Sole 24 Ore TV and NextMed, airs this evening at 9 pm, as it does every Thursday, on channel 63 of digital terrestrial television. Joining presenter Simone Spetia and Claudio Antonelli, deputy editor of 24Ore NextMed, in the discussion were the president of Confedilizia, Giorgio Spaziani Testa, the former mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, and Sole 24 Ore colleague 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.