Naples is grappling with a surge in short-term rentals that has doubled housing costs and forced residents out of the city’s historic core.
At a Glance
- Naples now has more than 10,000 Airbnb listings, exceeding Venice’s availability.
- Historic centre rents have risen from €550–600 a decade ago to €1,200–1,400 per month.
- Some working-class neighbourhoods report one in three homes converted to tourist rentals.
- Local authorities are considering stricter regulation to limit overtourism.
The Boom of Tourist Flats
Naples has become a showcase for overtourism’s strain on urban housing. The number of short-term rentals has grown at an unprecedented rate, with between 400 and 800 new properties added every quarter. In total, more than 10,000 Airbnb units are currently listed, surpassing even Venice, a city long synonymous with overtourism.
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Rental costs have risen in tandem with this boom. In the city’s historic centre, average monthly rent has more than doubled over the past decade, climbing from €550–600 to €1,200–1,400. For many Neapolitans, especially young people and families, these increases have made staying in central districts untenable. Landlords are often incentivized to evict tenants in order to capture the far higher income generated from short-stay visitors.
Displacement and Social Impact
The transformation has reached deep into Naples’s neighbourhoods. In some working-class districts, one-third of residential units are now devoted to tourist use. This shift disrupts social structures, pushing families to the outskirts and eroding community cohesion. Schools face declining enrollments, local grocers shut down, and traditional meeting places vanish as turnover rises.
Activists warn that Naples’s historic centre risks losing its cultural vitality. Formerly vibrant streets populated by long-term residents now increasingly host souvenir shops, tourist-focused eateries, and property managers. Accounts of displacement include stories of residents forced out by sudden rent hikes or eviction notices, with entire apartment buildings converted into holiday accommodations.
Urban Planning and Political Debate
Urban policy experts argue that Naples requires urgent intervention to avoid irreversible demographic shifts. Academic studies published in 2025 emphasize the role of land-use policies in mitigating displacement and call for tighter restrictions on short-term rentals. The municipality has acknowledged the problem, with Mayor Gaetano Manfredi voicing support for new legal frameworks that would grant cities authority to cap or regulate the expansion of tourist apartments.
While tourism remains a critical economic driver, the challenge lies in balancing growth with livability. Naples risks becoming a city where locals are priced out entirely, leaving behind a hollowed-out urban centre catering only to visitors. Protests and debates continue as residents push for a model that safeguards housing affordability while sustaining the city’s economic lifeblood.
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