Tourism and sustainability in the historic city of Rome. Challenge or threat?

Tourism pressure and its negative effects in the context of historic cities is a topical theme in both the academic literature and the wider public discourse. We are living in an era of “mass cultural tourism”, a phenomenon that appears destined only to expand further, with growth driven by an increase in numbers of tourists, in absolute terms, and by the “democratisation of culture”, whereby cultural tourism is less than ever considered the preserve of the elite. Cultural tourism is estimated to contribute 3.5% of Italian GDP and account for 33.2% of the country’s tourism revenues. However, the growth of cultural tourism, especially in historic cities, is leading to increased concern about its sustainability. Words like overtourism, tourismophobia, touristophobia and tourism pollution have entered the contemporary debate around urban tourism, particularly among industry actors and stakeholders. The aim of this chapter is to approach the issue of the sustainability of tourist flows into Rome from the perspective of local stakeholders and to explore how the case of Rome might be located in a wider context. With a significant part of the city centre meeting the definition of a tourist-historic city, Rome offers an excellent example of a contested space populated by users with conflicting goals and interests.