On its 2,500th anniversary, Naples grapples with the benefits and burdens of a tourism boom

When I visited Naples almost a decade ago, guidebooks, hoteliers, and well-meaning locals each warned maine of nan foolhardiness of being a lone overseas female successful nan city.

Most adamantly, they urged maine not to group ft successful nan Quartieri Spagnoli, a neighbourhood past notorious for crime and violence.

Fast guardant to 2025, nan 2,500th day of nan city’s founding, and Naples’ metamorphosis is difficult to support up with. When I asked my taxi driver for recommendations for wherever to eat that evening, his first proposal was “anywhere successful nan Quartieri Spagnoli”.

Over nan past decade, nan endeavours of visitors to observe ‘authentic’ areas and nan entrepreneurship of residents person aided nan opening up of nan quarter. It is typical of what is happening each complete nan city, pinch some affirmative and antagonistic knock-on effects.

2,500 years aft its birth, Naples is revelling successful a tourism roar while simultaneously experiencing accelerated downsides that astir cities study decades later.

Naples celebrates its 2,500th anniversary

Naples’ infinitesimal successful nan spotlight is agelong deserved. As nan metropolis is justly celebrating, it is simply a palimpsest of 2,500 years of history that comes together successful a heady, alluring, theatrical concoction.

Within nan grid scheme centro storico - nan city’s historical centre - alone, 2nd-century catacombs dishonesty beneath your feet arsenic you locomotion shaded alleys lined pinch decadent 16th-century palazzos. Heavy stone-carved churches hide 4th-century mosaics and 17th-century Caravaggio paintings.

Throughout nan year, location are various events to observe nan anniversary. The lavishly gilded 18th-century Teatro San Carlo has a rich | programme of performances.

A caller conception of nan prestigious Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) opens successful early June, and nan Museo di Capodimonte will inaugurate a caller accumulation abstraction dedicated to porcelain successful November.

Italy’s chaotic kid gets a clean-up

Guidebook descriptions of Naples person condemned nan metropolis to beryllium everlastingly associated pinch nan adjective ‘gritty’.

It’s existent that, wherever destinations for illustration nan Tuscany countryside, nan Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre are curated to nan constituent of becoming spurious, Naples delivers authenticity successful droves.

But ‘gritty’ has besides been a euphemistic measurement to motion to Naples’ long-standing problems pinch discarded guidance and crime.

The metropolis is now moving difficult to reside these problems. Last year, nan assembly announced caller strategies for keeping nan streets clean.

“We denote nan presence of important news for nan betterment of postulation services,” nan head of Naples’ waste management services ASIA Napoli said.

“Among these are a caller website, nan updating of connection services pinch citizens, and nan progressive installation of technological infrastructures for discarded disposal and postulation monitoring successful nan city.”

Crime rates are besides decreasing, pinch thefts down 6 per cent successful 2024 compared to 2023 and robberies down 17.75 per cent.

Luxury hotels and cruise ships travel to Naples

Coupled pinch nan city’s cleanable up is simply a alteration successful nan benignant of tourism it's welcoming.

From nan Krug-branded rooftop terrace of nan five-star Romeo Hotel Napoli, champagne-sipping guests person a sweeping position of nan bay of Naples, shadowy Mount Vesuvius, and nan day’s cruise ship arrivals.

In summer, an mean of 3 liners dock successful nan metropolis a day, disgorging tens of thousands of visitors into its streets.

But dissimilar Venice aliases Santorini, Naples’ size tin much easy digest nan influx, and moreover use from it. According to my taxi driver, cruise passengers are a large earner for backstage carrier companies, circuit groups and souvenir shops.

Another comparatively caller marketplace for Naples is nan luxury traveller. Currently, location are only a fistful of five-star hotels successful nan city, compared to complete 50 successful Rome and astir nan aforesaid number successful Florence.

But respective much large concatenation openings are successful nan pipeline, including a Radisson, a Roccoforte and a Marriott.

Romeo Hotel seems to person foreseen this emerging market. Opened successful 2008, its cutting-edge solid and alloy structure, packed pinch avant-garde artworks from nan owner’s collection, still feels very connected trend.

The edifice is now upgrading its amenities to cater for nan processing luxury market, pinch a immense Sisley Paris spa, a cigar room, an infinity excavation pinch solid sides, and a haute-cuisine Alain Ducasse-inspired restaurant.

The improvements person proved popular. The spot now sees galore much world guests and precocious hosted footballer Scott McTominay and family during his title last (and win) for nan city’s Serie A nine Napoli.

Tourists are staying longer and diving deeper into nan city

Tourist arrivals person been expanding successful Naples (up 15 per cent from 2023 to 2024), and nan visitors are becoming much diverse.

“We’ve decidedly seen a wider operation of nationalities,” says Inès Sellami, proprietor of nan creation gallery-cum-guesthouse Atelier Inès.

“A fewer years ago, it was mostly Italians, Germans, and possibly nan occasional French couple. Now we get Americans, Brits, Koreans, Australians, moreover solo travellers from South America aliases India.”

Visitors are besides taking much clip to spot nan city. “People utilized to travel for conscionable 1 aliases 2 nights. Now they’re staying 4 aliases 5 nights, utilizing Naples arsenic a guidelines but besides diving deeper into nan metropolis itself,” says Sellami.

“More guests are willing successful section art, cooking experiences, and nan stories down things, not conscionable ticking disconnected monuments.”

The acheronian broadside of a tourism boom

The tourism roar has been a boon successful immoderate ways. “It’s brought a batch of power and opportunities. Some areas that were run-down person caller life now, caller cafés, creation spaces, boutique hotels, young group opening businesses,” explains Sellami.

“It’s created work, particularly for younger generations who wanted to enactment successful Naples but didn’t spot a early here. And there’s a caller consciousness of pride, locals spot that visitors admit our traditions, our food, our creativity.”

However, nan metropolis assembly needs to get a patient grip connected nan business to halt nan already pervasive adverse effects nan tourism influx is having.

Rising visitant numbers are fuelling maturation successful nan short-term rental market, which successful move has sparked a lodging situation akin to those knowledgeable by hotspot destinations for illustration nan Canary Islands and Barcelona.

A study from 2023 recovered that platform-mediated short-term rentals are displacing low-income inhabitants from nan historical centre of Naples.

It said that Airbnb listings betwixt 2015 and 2019 successful Naples accrued by 553 per cent, and they are concentrated successful nan neighbourhoods suffering nan highest economical hardship.

According to Tourism Review, renting an flat successful nan historical centre costs betwixt €550 and €600 10 years ago. Today, those prices scope from €1,200 to €1,400, efficaciously doubling successful a decade.

This is simply a peculiarly worrying inclination because, contempt accrued occupation opportunities from tourism, wages are not seeing a important increase. The metropolis has 1 of nan highest rates of younker unemployment successful Italy astatine 43 per cent.

Naples needs a broad tourism strategy

For Sellami, a important strategy for easing nan strain of tourism is to dispersed it retired much and promote visitors to research beyond nan accustomed spots.

Instagram and TikTok’s passageway imagination position of nan metropolis - Diego Maradona murals, pizzerie and seaview spritz - intends visitors crowd nan centro storico and waterside Lungomare.

“There are astonishing neighbourhoods that still don’t spot galore tourists,” she says.

She besides suggests that amended carrier connections and clearer signage would help, too, particularly successful English.

“Most of all, I deliberation we should attraction connected quality tourism, group who travel pinch curiosity and respect,” she adds. “If we invited them decently and stock nan existent Naples, everyone benefits.”

The onus is connected nan visitors themselves, too. Sellami says it is not different to find visitors who dainty nan metropolis for illustration a taxable park, making large sound astatine nighttime and disrespecting churches aliases monuments. A communal taxable successful overtourism complaints crossed Europe.

But successful general, she is optimistic astir nan city’s development.

“It’s been rather a transformation,” she says. “Now group are coming for Naples, they’re discovering nan food, nan art, nan earthy beauty of nan city. It’s still not a polished city, but I deliberation that’s portion of nan appeal.”