MeetBG

MeetBG explores how data on Bergamo's growing tourism could point toward a more balanced, meaningful way for visitors to experience the city, one that moves them beyond the crowded streets of Città Alta and closer to the people who actually live there.

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Research into tourism data showed that while Bergamo isn't yet as overwhelmed as Venice or Barcelona, several indicators - rising visitor numbers, hotels giving way to short-term rentals, longer average stays - point in a familiar direction. At the same time, surveys and interviews suggested most locals don't feel overrun, and many were open to connecting with tourists, even if language created a quiet barrier. This led to a central question: how might visitors be encouraged to explore Bergamo beyond its most iconic quarter, through meaningful exchange with the people and culture that define the city?

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The answer took the shape of MeetBG or “Meet Bergamo” - a vending-machine-style kiosk placed around the city. For two euros, a visitor can choose between two paths: Events, which connects them with a Bergamasco guide for an active or live experience, or Tips, a self-guided option across categories like nature, food, art, culture, or something random. The two euros itself doubles as a small act of goodwill, treated as a donation toward the municipality's costs of installing and maintaining MeetBG machines across the city. The format was inspired by local greeter networks, where residents volunteer to show visitors their city, combined with the familiar, approachable ritual of a vending machine, insert money, make a choice, receive something back.

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Working on MeetBG surfaced a broader ambition than technical answers: to draw tourists away from the busiest spots, give budget travellers a low-cost way in, and foster a genuine sense of closeness between locals and visitors, making tourism feel a little more human on both sides.