The new frontier of hospitality in particularly popular areas such as Tuscany is the diversification of supply and the organisation of itineraries making it possible to discover of the more appealing parts of the region or satisfying the 'vertical' demands of increasingly demanding and sustainability oriented visitors, avoiding 'overtourism' in some places. During the summer months, for example, the ratio of inhabitants to tourists in Florence is 2 to 1, and 3 out of 4 tourists are concentrated in the Accademia, Uffizi and Pitti Palace, according to a study presented at the 2017 edition of Sharing Tuscany, a seminar on the main international tourism trends organised by the Tuscany Region and Toscana Promozione Turistica as a preview to Buy Tuscany. The study by a group operating under the Data Science for Social Good programme launched by the University of Chicago in 2013 attempts to photograph the behaviour of visitors to Florence using digital tracking and mobile data.
The Tuscan capital has been chosen in consideration of the impact of tourism on its historic centre in recent years. Such information is needed to understand how to organise tourism services in the region. "Use of these data would, for example, allow museums and other places of significant tourist interest to best manage flows during the day, decongest peak times and create a system to provide this kind of information to the public in order to direct visitors towards less crowded places," regional councillor for tourism Stefano Ciuoffo said. "For example, by creating apps or providing information in the internet about alternative itineraries, with advantages for both sides. Or to best plan a visit to a particular place, reducing waiting times to a minimum."
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