Italy clamps down on tourist self check-ins

Rome: Italy s police chief has ordered Airbnb style owners to verify the identity of guests in person rather than remotely as visitor numbers surge, a...

Rome: Italy's police chief has ordered Airbnb-style owners to verify the identity of guests in person rather than remotely as visitor numbers surge, according to a circular seen by AFP on Tuesday.

The security measure follows a push back in several historic cities against rampant tourism, including a ban in hotspot Florence on key boxes used by short-term rental landlords.

The boxes allow guests to access their accommodation without meeting their hosts, and sending copies of identity documents via email or message on check-in had become common practice.

In a "delicate historical moment at an international level", Police Chief Vittorio Pisani said his office "confirms the obligation imposed on the managers of accommodation facilities of any kind or type to verify the identity of guests by means of a visual check".

Pisani said the order was issued in light of the "intensification of the phenomenon of so-called 'short-term rentals'" such as Airbnb throughout Italy, as well as "the numerous political, cultural and religious events being planned", including the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee celebrations.