The famous Colosseum in Rome—which dates back to the first century and is one of the best preserved in the world—will, under a new $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb, become a venue for mock gladiatorial fights chosen by lottery among Airbnb applicants.
In exchange for staging the mock gladiator fights for tourists in the monument, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is Rome’s historic city center, the short-term rental giant will fund the monument’s educational program that focuses on telling its history.
Yet it’s not all fun and games.
Plenty of people, from residents to tourists, are skeptical of the value of such a plan when Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms have been the source of harsh criticism in tourist-heavy destinations across Europe.
Short-term rentals are leading to a shortage of housing for residents in many cities and, in places like Mallorca and Barcelona, they’ve also led to anti-tourism protests by the thousands, which reached their peak this summer as a record number of travelers flocked to Europe, exacerbating the problems of what is known as overtourism.
The new partnership with the Colosseum Archaeological Park isn’t the first mainstream business deal the park has made recently to fund its upkeep and programming, but it is the largest in the global public eye.
So now that you know the facts, why should we be concerned about the new deal?
There are a few reasons.
It encourages and popularizes short-term rental lodgings in destinations where they are actively causing a housing crisis. This will add to the negative impact of overtourism and might make tourists feel less welcome. Additionally, it makes the city as a whole more dependent on the platform and its influence.
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It’s not the right way to learn about ancient Rome. While you could argue that the experience might help bring the world of ancient Rome to life, it’s only going to do that for a select chosen few, and likely not in the most meaningful of ways. For example, gladiator fights weren’t often the gory bloodbaths we see in the movies, and neither were they the most popular form of entertainment for Romans: chariot races were. If a traveler would like to learn more about Rome during their travels, they’d be better served visiting a museum, researching the attractions they’ll be visiting before they arrive, or booking a guided tour with an expert to learn how Romans lived, worked and what their contributions to humanity were (and there are a lot of them).
It’s turning an ancient monument into a theme park. I know, you may not care about some random tourists pretending to joust in an ancient arena. I do—I care that places like the Colosseum are preserved and respected at the same time. To me, the mock gladiator fight is more a social media stunt than a cultural experience. It’s a loud, colorful noise without true substance. Yes, it’s helping fund educational programs, but I strongly believe funding can be found without the need for this type of advertising ploy.
Isn’t it insulting to Romans? The value in historical preservation must first prioritize the residents; the tourists should always be second. So I ask: will it benefit people living in the city? After all, it’s their monument, built by their ancestors long ago—they have a right to have a say in how it is used. The monument is accepting dollars from a company that’s actively making the housing crisis worse and preventing many Romans from being able to buy their own homes. If this was a voting matter, would they think this is a good idea?
Like I mentioned before, the value in historical preservation must always be firstly for the people that history belongs to and for posterity, not for a marketing stunt or a selected group of travelers wanting to live out a Hollywood version of history.
It’s up to you what to decide: are you concerned about the news, excited by it, or just indifferent?
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