On the other side of the ocean, Italy bans those key boxes that provide a self-service self-check-in function for holiday rentals. From November 18, 2024, at the latest, guests must attend in person with the property owners or managers to present identification. Safety and order concerns have been expressed and have triggered protests from both local and international visitors in major Italian cities such as Rome, Milan, and Florence.
From now on, guests will have to provide identification in person, with the property owner reporting to local police within 24 hours. Of course, it is anticipated that this regulation will improve national security with the new threat and conflict.
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This, of course, is going to have a direct impact on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com. According to 2023 records, Italy is still the first in number, with about 134 million tourists, thus making such regulations a necessity.
Public safety reasons were the primary motivators as unmonitored anonymous stays are costing more money and adding to the pressure on the infrastructure. It is an attempt that Italy is making to balance the cost of tourism against security and order.
Recently, due to some incidents and threats that international terrorism posed, most European countries implemented tighter regulations, not the least of which was Italy. It is about proper verification of guests and overall security enhancement.