Ninth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

This work analyzes the effects that mass tourism induces in historically rich urban settings. Mass tourism is an increasing phenomenon. Tourist operators emphasize historical and natural landscapes inducing the need of reaching the promoted destinations, as it is the case for any other product of consumerism. The object of desire, the touristic destination, represents the achievement of a social condition. The art connoisseur, the tourist who manifests interest in historical sites, re-enacts the romantic voyager of the Grand Tour. The genuine discovery of beauty that animated the travelers of past times is supplied by a discovery of a beauty highly manipulated by mechanisms of marketing. The more the historical setting is historicized and defined in its authenticity, the more it is vilified and its cultural landscape abused. Authenticity loses its significance (as Koolhaas already stated in 1995). Residents, integral part of the cultural landscape, flee the pressure of an environment that it is not sustainable to their eyes. We take as a case study Florence, small by size, but dense with historical monuments. According to data provided by the Regional Government, in 2017 tourists in town outnumbered the residents, with a ratio of 3:1. The management of the cultural landscape intended as ecosystem is challenged. We analyze how mass tourism reflects on the city of Florence in terms of image and perception from residents. The study is draws on the support of different research methods including data analysis and extrapolations of data from resident interviews.