New developments are on the horizon in the short-term rental sector, as the Tourism Policies Commission of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, led by coordinator Daniele D’Amario, has given a positive opinion on the decree regarding the interoperability of regional databases, prepared by the Ministry of Tourism. This is a crucial step towards achieving a unified mechanism for the identification of accommodation facilities, with a focus on preventing fraud. The positive opinion paves the way for the State-Regions agreement on the decree, which is expected to be finalized in May. Following this, a testing phase will commence with the aim of implementing the decree by September 1st. After the summer, the decree will be published, and a 60-day period will be provided for full enforcement, followed by the application of penalties outlined in the decree by the end of 2023.
Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanchè hailed this as an important achievement resulting from intensive teamwork with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. She emphasized the significance of the procedure for defining the National Identification Code (Cin) and making regional databases interoperable with the national one. D’Amario also expressed satisfaction with the agreement, highlighting the collaboration between regions, autonomous provinces, and the Ministry of Tourism. He noted that the decree not only regulates the establishment of a mandatory national identification code for promoting properties intended for tourist rentals but also facilitates the initiation of a complex process to ensure interoperability between regional and national databases.
The main objective is to associate a code with properties dedicated to short-term rentals and tourism through an automated procedure. While many regions already have such codes in place, they will need to be integrated into the national unified database in accordance with the new decree. The Cin must be displayed on the exterior of the building housing the apartment and included in every rental advertisement. Failure to comply may result in sanctions. Meanwhile, the Research Office of the Italian Association of Short-Term Rental Operators (Aigab) has estimated the sector’s contribution to accommodating travelers and the Italian GDP during the spring holidays.
Between April 25th and May 5th, nearly 1.5 million guests will be welcomed, with 71% being foreigners, bringing a total GDP contribution of 1.4 billion euros to Italy. Guests are projected to spend almost 300 million euros on accommodation in Italian households, staying an average of 3.8 nights. On average, each foreign family will spend 802 euros on accommodation, compared to 262 euros for Italian families (who, however, will have shorter stays). The net contribution of foreign travelers is estimated to exceed one billion euros, with an impact of 25 million euros on the tourist tax alone.
