Anti-Airbnb protests have erupted in Milan as locals take aim at holiday rental properties, vandalising key boxes and placing protest stickers across the city.
The campaign group Chiediamo Casa led the latest wave of demonstrations over the weekend, targeting key safes that allow tourists access to their rented accommodation.
Protesters affixed stickers declaring “Less short lets, more houses for all” to properties throughout Milan, whilst promoting their slogan “This city is not a hotel” on social media.
The campaigners are demanding action against what they describe as “unsustainable rents” that are forcing locals out of their city.
Locals in Milan have been protesting against overtourism
Getty
“We really wish tourists well but want them to stay in hotels,” explained campaigner Giacomo Negri to The Times.
Negri pointed out that key boxes have become a symbol of how short-term rentals have evolved from residents letting spare rooms to companies managing multiple properties.
The protest movement has already gained significant traction in other Italian cities, with Florence seeing similar demonstrations last weekend.
Nearly a third of Florence’s flats are now listed on Airbnb, prompting protesters there to use stickers with the message “Let’s save Florence so we can live in it”.
The campaigners issued an early November call to action, stating: “We want a city for all and the right to live in dignified housing.”
Nearly a third of Florence’s flats are now listed on Airbnb
Getty
In Rome, activists calling themselves ‘Robin Hood’ have recently taken more aggressive action by removing key safes from holiday properties entirely.
The group left letters under felt hats attached to lampposts, declaring: “If you are looking for the key safes and can’t find them, read this. We are rebelling.”
Their message continued: “We have removed these key storage boxes to denounce the sell-out of the city to short-stay holidays which alienate locals and leave residents out on the streets.”
The activists claimed this was “only our first action against the Holy Year of the rich,” referring to rising rents in the capital.
In Rome, activists calling themselves ‘Robin Hood’ have recently taken more aggressive action by removing key safes from holiday properties entirely
Getty
The protests come as Rome experienced record tourism levels last year, with more than 35 million visitors descending on the Italian capital.
This marked a dramatic increase from the previous year’s 15 million visitors, with overnight stays climbing 176 per cent from 2021.
The pressure on local housing is set to intensify further, as Rome and Vatican City prepare to host the jubilee ‘Holy Year’ next year.
The event is expected to draw an additional 30 million visitors from around the world.
This summer has seen widespread backlash against tourists across Mediterranean hotspots, with locals protesting against what they view as inadequate regulation of tourist accommodation.