Venice is an anomaly. A city full of culture, history and art overtaken daily by the masses of tourists that flock to Saint Mark’s. Strangers crowd the bridges to pose for a picture in front of the Bridge of Sighs and wait in line for their turn to experience a 30 minute gondola ride in attempt to “really immerse themselves in Venetian culture” during their stay on the island. Tourists are tarnishing and complicating the daily lives of the very few Venetians who still reside on the city’s mainland. Locals push by slow tourists in narrow alleyways frustrated that nobody but them seem to know how to navigate the mazes of the city. They grunt in frustration and few appear friendly enough to offer assistance to the confused tourist trying to make it back to Saint Mark’s square. Who wouldn’t want to experience the city’s attraction even if just for a fleeting 48 hours? Regardless of one’s opinion on tourism it is hard to deny the impact it has on the Venetian economy. One must assess both the pros and cons of this phenomenon as the insane number of tourists that visit the city each year can wreak potential havoc to the beauty and serenity of Venice.
Once a great empire to now a tourist city, Venice’s politics and economy have undergone many changes throughout the years. Venice’s political fortitude and geographical location led to its success as a center of trade. Without many natural resources, Venetians have always needed to create and develop new markets in order to stay viable. Today the Venetian economy has evolved to accommodate the over 30 million tourists that the city welcomes each year (Venezia Authentica).This number has been rapidly increasing as just in 2005 the city welcomed an estimated 15 million to the city (Davis, Robert C., and Garry Marvin). The tourist sector is now an essential, yet controversial part of the city’s economy.
Venice has not always been flooded with tourists. However, it did attract tourists early on in its history. Venice attracted young intellectuals that came from across Europe to study its vast art, culture and architecture (Venice and its Lagoons). The Venetians welcomed these young elites as they were willing to learn and invest their time in understanding the city's beauty. This was a radically different type of tourism than what occurs in Venice today. The type of tourism today is a “mass phenomenon all year round, leading to new figures and events” (Venice and its Lagoons). Since these tourists do not stay for long periods of time their consumptions patterns have caused a major shift in the trade and service industry. It seems like the majority of the trade occurring today in the city is for refreshments, sandwiches or cheap t-shirts on sale in the main squares. “The overwhelming presence of visitors in a hurry, yet wanting to take back with them ‘a piece of Venice,’ means that the type of trade along the major tourist routes… has changed considerably” (Venice and its Lagoons).
Due to the shift in consumer preferences, Venetian store owners and craftsmen have had to alter their business models to stay afloat. The consumer is the tourist now and that seems to be almost every salesman and business owner’s target. There is little demand from actual residents even now more than ever due to the declining population. Following World War II Venice’s population was about 175,000 and today it has fallen to about 55,000 (Giuffrida). Depopulation is not only a major problem for Venice’s economy, but it also explains why store owners target the tourist consumer over the locals, there are simply more of them. There is a focus on getting more products in stores for the cheapest cost of production. More items are now being sold by street vendors and are not made in the traditional Venetian style or produced by local craftsman. The products you often see on the sides of the street are mass produced and often not even made by authentic Italians. Vendors, tradesmen and craftspeople are becoming specialists in the tourist market.
The niche market for small souvenirs and tokens of the old city have added to the ever-growing problem of congestion in the city. Venice is only seven miles in diameter so the construct of the city lends itself to the congestion problems made worse by narrow alleyways and streets. With vendors crowding the street corners and popular attraction sites have made this problem even worse. Additionally, the public transportation system is crowded and overwhelmed with demand. During the busy months people crowd onto the vaporettos, the public transit system, hoping to avoid walking in the summer’s blazing heat. This causes massive numbers of people congregating by the boat stops. The overcrowding is so bad many people even choose to avoid this public transportation nightmare all together.
The influx of tourists not only cause congestion, but locals complain that their quality of life is diminished by their presence. One concern is the cost of living has drastically increased as limited housing opportunities have caused prices to skyrocket. Cheap souvenir shops and restaurants seemingly have taken over ever conceive open space. Although there may appear to be many jobs because of the large number of tourists, job opportunities are limited which is another reason for many fleeing the city (Venezia Authentica).
In the book Venice, the Tourist Maze: A Cultural Critique of the World’s Most Touristed City, Robert Davis and Garry Marvin discuss the implications to the city experiences due to the waters surrounding it becoming more dangerous. Tourists are forever increasingly polluting the waters with sewage and garbage. Global warming and the rising sea levels are problems that are not new to the old city. Davis and Marvin explain that these are issues that are serious, but the problem that we should be most concerned with is policy makers continue to reinforce this way of life in support of the tourist economy. When the large cruise ships dock they impact the Venetian way of life in more ways than one. Residents complain of “‘continuous booming and buzzing [causing] the windows [to] vibrate constantly. It is an annoyance… which becomes hammering and unbearable at night’” (Davis, Robert C., and Garry Marvin 206).
The monstrous, modern looking cruise ships that bring in thousands of tourists daily look out of place in what should be a quaint historical city. Locals are fed up with cruise ships and the problems they bring to their city. There have been protests across the city to ban cruise ships from coming into Venice altogether (Giuffrida). The problem of the cruise ships goes beyond the annoyed tourist. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had gone so far to warn the local Venetian government that if steps were not taken to solve the cruise ship problem then the organization would have to place Venice on its list of endangered heritage series (Rigby). Ultimately, this threat to be placed on the list was to protect Venice from any further harm from an abundance of cruise ships. UNESCO was concerned the city could not handle the flooding and rising sea levels that these gigantic ships cause. It was urgent that the Venetian government take action as being placed on this list could potentially cause more harm to the already fragile local economy.
In 1987 Venice and its Lagoon were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List “in recognition of its unique historical, archaeological, urban and artistic heritage and exceptional cultural traditions, integrated into an extraordinary natural landscape” (UNESCO World Heritage Centre). Due to the growing concern of the preservation of Venice, a committee and site representatives worked in collaboration with UNESCO to propose the 2012-2018 Management Plan to combat the various concerns of “wave motion (moto ondoso) induced by wind and water traffic, the erosion of the lagoon bed compounded by the illegal harvesting of shellfish, pollution, the conservation of man-made heritage, the progressive loss of resident population in the historical centre and on the islands and growing, almost unsustainable, levels of tourism” (UNESCO World Heritage Center). This plan contains new policies that will protect the future of Venice while pursuing both social and economic development (Management Plan 2012-2018). This plan contains four action initiatives containing a total of twelve sub objectives of which quite a few are related to the tourism problem. Some of these objectives include developing and promoting the values of Venice, expanding residential areas and creating new, complementary forms of tourism, with of focus on environmentally friendly tourist activities. These action plans appear to address many of the concerns of the United Nations and local Venetians. However most of the objectives are abstract and do not state specific actions or policy changes that should be taken by the government or local citizens. The most significant impact of the threat to be put on the endangered World Heritage list has been a ruling in 2017 to divert cruise ships away from docking in front of Saint Mark’s Square (Buckley).
After extensive debate, the Italian government has issued a directive banning cruise ships over 55,000 tons from passing through and dock in the city by the year 2021 (Buckley). This is not going to completely stop cruise ships from coming to the city. They will simply have to take a longer route and dock the ships on the mainland of Marghera. This may address the issue of the cruise ships damaging the historic feel of the city. Unfortunately the residents who complain of the population and traffic it brings will most likely still be unhappy with the Italian government's decision. As of right now this solution appeared to be the best compromise for the cruise ship problem. The environmental concern has yet to be addressed as cruise ships under the weight limit will still be allowed to pass through and the larger cruise ships will simply emit more fumes as they have to travel further to dock their ship.
There is no doubt that tourism and is many accompanying problems have caused many disruptions to the city of Venice. Regardless of the negative impact caused by the tourists, one cannot deny the simple fact that Venice is one of the most dynamic and productive regions in Italy. This is proven by the fact Venice currently maintains high employment and growth rates (OECD Territorial Reviews: Venice, Italy). Many people want to limit the number of tourists in the city, but many people are actually employed in the service sector which accomates the many demands of the tourist. The tourist industry provides thousands of jobs to people living in Venice and other Italians who commute to the city from the mainland. Although most travelers stay in Venice for only a short period time it is estimated that they bring in about 250 million euros to the city every year (Giuffrida). Given that environmental concerns and the mass depopulation are grave concerns, one must consider the repercussions if the Venetian government begins to mandate a restriction on the people visiting the city. Travel and tourism contribute nearly 12 percent to the city's GDP (City Travel & Tourism Impact 2017). Compared to other cities in Italy, Venice maintains a higher employment and GDP (City Travel & Tourism Impact 2017). Unlike other cities in Italy, Venice does not have the geographical capacity to handle the rapidly increasing people coming to visit the city each year. In order to maximize the economic benefit and the revenues tourist bring in, Venetian authorities must calculate the number of tourist the city can handle before the impacts become overwhelmingly negative.
Venice is a city at a crossroad. Facing many economy and social issues as it fights to maintain its historical and cultural roots. The lack of job opportunity coupled with the high cost of living and high taxes makes these problems even more difficult. For instance, if the government pushes to eliminate the presence of cruise ships altogether or restricts tourism how will the few who still live in Venice survive in the absence of revenue generated by the tourism industry. Murano glass and lace production are important contributors to the economy in Venice, but these industries alone may not be enough to keep Venice as a vibrant city. Even though many argue that the tourist does not spend as much money as they used to, they still bring in significant revenues. Any restrictions imposed by the government would have a crippinly impact on the economic vitality of Venice. The fact that residents continue to exodus the city has already transformed Venice into a city of museums rather than a city full of life and culture. People commute to the island for work simply because they cannot afford to live there or rather they prefer to be away from the commotion of a crowded tourist city. The fundamental question facing the citizens of Venice and its government officials is how to preserve the history, beauty and culture of the city which is extremely important to the local residents, with balancing and managing a fragile economy. Citizens and the government must work together to devise a plan to halt the deterioration of Venice, preserve its historic culture and provide a growing economic environment that benefits the city and its citizens. The time is now to act before one of the most interesting cities in Italy becomes a memory.