The Airbnb Redemption: The Business of Repopulating Ancient Towns in Italy

When cities become overpopulated and gentrified, Airbnb and other travel platforms are often blamed. This paper examines a case where such platforms and their entrepreneurs are instead viewed as redeemers. It specifically discusses the biopolitical role played by travel brokers in regions of Italy that are on the brink of extinction.

Italy is currently facing its worst demographic crisis since World War I. The most remote areas, including islands and regions near the Apennine Mountains, are particularly affected by "brain drains" and significant declines in birth rates. These areas have essentially become ghost towns, inhabited mainly by the elderly, and represent forms of human settlement that are nearing extinction.

To combat this phenomenon, various entrepreneurs, policies, and communities are promoting these spaces through place-branding strategies aimed at attracting a specific type of migrant: the digital nomad. These are urban workers from high-income, high-output jobs seeking a place to breathe.

Through the lens of a successful partnership between Airbnb and a group of architects in Grottole, Italy, this paper explores the entrepreneurial initiative to revitalize the streets of these quasi-abandoned villages from a sustainability perspective.