A coastal town in southern Italy has become swamped by tourists in the last decade, and the situation is only getting worse.
A coastal town in southern Italy has become swamped by tourists in the last decade, and the situation is only getting worse.
Alghero, a coastal town on the island of Sardinia, southern Italy, is a popular tourist destination, relying on the revenue generated by these visitors. But in the last decade, it has started to create problems for locals.
The phrase ‘too many tourists’ has become a mantra among locals from popular destinations, including Alghero. Overtourism is a phenomenon that happens when a city hosts more tourists than it is equipped to.
Overtourism first came to the Emerald Coast ‘Costa Smeralda’ region of Sardinia and is now quickly spreading across the rest of the region.
The city of Alghero is tucked in a corner of the north-west region of the island. While it has always been a tourist destination, it is in recent years that the once quiet town has started swarming with tourists.
For the city, overtourism has resulted in a surge of Airbnb and seasonal lettings.
Landlords are choosing to rent out their flats and homes for a couple of months during the summer, instead of a whole year, resulting in locals struggling to find a home and having to move to other cities or even abroad.
Massimiliano Accardo is a reception manager at Hotel Villa Piras in Alghero, with a background in economics and tourism.
He said: “Overtourism has helped people realise they can earn more by renting out their flats seasonally.
“It’s overall cheaper to rent out a house for a couple of months. You can raise the price per day, and when the house is not being rented, you save on bills such as electricity and water.”
Mr Accardo explained that landlords can also state their permanent residence to be at these properties to avoid extra fees. They can advertise and rent out their properties themselves instead of going through platforms such as Airbnb and booking.com to avoid paying commissions and thus earn more.
But earning more is not the only reason why people are choosing to rent out their properties to tourists; according to landlords, it is also a matter of safety.
Giuseppe Tilocca is the owner of ‘Butterfly Accommodations’, consisting of three rental properties in the heart of Alghero.
Mr Tilocca explained he used to rent out his houses for a longer period, but decided to switch to short-term rentals after a bad experience with a tenant.
He said: “Letting houses for a year-long duration brings too many risks. Italian law doesn’t do enough to safeguard laws on evictions. I have had bad experiences in the past when I used to rent out my properties for longer periods of time. I now prefer to rent them out for shorter periods of time and for tourism purposes.”
The n.431 residential lease law of 1998, ‘legge sulle locazioni abitative’ and the n.392 ‘equo canone law’ are part of the Civil Code for landlord-tenant matters. They protect tenants against unfair eviction, meaning it is hard for a landlord to evict a tenant, even in cases of tenants refusing or not being able to pay rent.
The process of eviction can thus last for months if not years, due to investigations into the matter.
But what has become a safer and better source of income for some has resulted in an issue for those who want to move to Alghero permanently.
There are multiple Facebook groups and communities consisting of people looking for permanent accommodation in the city.
One of these commenters is Mighela Pazzola, who posted a desperate appeal in the group ‘Alghero affittasi appartamenti’, meaning Alghero apartments for rent.
She said: “After almost ten years of living in the mainland, we are struggling to return to our land as there are no year-long rentals.
“Sardinia belongs first and foremost to Sardinians, not just to tourists. We want to build our future there with our efforts, but we are struggling because we cannot find a house.
“We have decided to try for the thousandth time, after countless promises that never came true and hundreds of scams, we are still desperately looking for a house, between Sassari and Alghero, with a year-long renewable lease.”
Ms Pazzola made this comment in mid-April 2026, only to then make a new one after a couple of weeks, announcing she had given up on finding a home in Alghero.
She said: “After an unsuccessful search for a flat in Alghero, we are turning towards Sassari in hopes of successfully finding something.
“After many years of living up north, we want to return home to start a business. We are looking for a three-bedroom house or a large two-bedroom one, in Sassari, preferably in the outskirts of the city or an area that is along the route to Alghero, from June.
We are reliable, tidy people who pay our rent on time. Thank you for your help.”
Massimiliano Accardo noted these short-term rentals have become more and more popular in the last ten to fifteen years, this popularity rising with Alghero’s as a holiday destination.
At Hotel Villa Piras, 80% of their guests come from other countries, the majority being from Britain and other European countries. The city also offers seasonal direct flights to all major European capitals, starting from April and ending in October.
As Mighela Pazzola said, Alghero now belongs to tourists.
Massimiliano Accardo emphasised that hotels and resorts are still fully booked, despite the rising popularity of holiday rentals.
New businesses pop up around the town during the summer, providing more jobs, such as temporary bars along the coastline and the promenade of the city.
The tourism board for Sardinia, ‘Sardegna Turismo’, advertises bed and breakfast accommodations and other holiday rentals on their official website, over hotels and resorts.
There are many other organisations dedicated to advertising tourism in Sardinia, such as Sardenya.it. With interactive maps and a myriad of itineraries, it claims there is something for every type of tourist.
The region launched a campaign in 2017 called ‘Sardinia Tourism Call 2 Action’ to attract more tourists. The campaign has so far been renewed each year.
According to ‘Sardegna Turismo’, the purpose of this campaign is to generate new ideas and innovative tactics to further develop the tourism sector in Sardinia.
The site rental12.com claims that by the end of 2025, the island will have reached an average of 21.8 million overnight stays, breaking a previous record of 20 million.
A lifeline for some and an obstacle for others, tourism, no matter in which manner, continues to impact the daily lives of Sardinians.