The widespread idea that increasing tourist flows inevitably undermine residents’ quality of life does not fully apply to Milan. According to new research, there is no linear correlation between overtourism and urban well-being. In fact, in some areas of the city, a higher tourism presence actually coincides with greater resident satisfaction.
This is the main finding of the first white paper on overtourism and quality of life in Milan, conducted by The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group and Doxa. The study, launched in June 2024, integrates big data analytics with residents’ perceptions to provide a comprehensive picture of how tourism interacts with urban life.
The analysis combines insights from over 130 digital sources with a structured survey of more than 500 residents, revealing an urban map where each neighborhood tells a different story. In the case of Municipality 6 (Barona, Lorenteggio, Navigli), medium-high tourist flows go hand in hand with some of the highest levels of quality of life in the city, thanks to green spaces, cultural vitality, and ongoing urban renewal. In the case of the Historic Center, tourism is at its peak but so too is livability, supported by excellent services and a strong socioeconomic profile. By contrast, in the case of Città Studi, Lambrate and Porta Venezia, cultural and university appeal coexists with lower satisfaction, influenced by congestion and lack of green areas. Meanwhile, areas with relatively low tourist pressure, such as Municipality 8, show surprisingly high levels of quality of life, highlighting that urban livability depends on far more than tourism numbers alone.
The survey also shows that 75% of Milanese residents value essential services positively, 74% appreciate the cultural offering, and 63% believe tourism makes the city more dynamic. However, concerns remain: 77% associate tourism with rising prices, and 59% feel quality of life has declined in the past three years, largely due to higher living costs and a perceived sense of insecurity. Only 32% believe that tourism threatens Milan’s cultural identity.
“This work was born from the need to observe urban tourism in a more detailed and realistic way,” said Mirko Lalli, CEO and Founder of The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group. “The relationship between tourism and quality of life is not automatic and varies from district to district. Our model, which integrates objective data with residents’ voices, offers policymakers a replicable tool to manage tourism flows more sustainably across European cities.”
Susanna De Luca, Senior Research Manager at Doxa, added: “For us, this project was an opportunity to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches, integrating data-driven insights with residents’ direct voices. Beyond the methodology, the real value lies in questioning a dominant narrative: in Milan, at least in some neighborhoods, tourism is not perceived as a burden, but as a factor that can coexist—even positively—with quality of urban life.”
The full white paper is available here: https://datappeal.io/free-white-paper-overtourism-milan/
