In Disney novel in Venice, world reaches tipping point of overtourism | Wilnesh News

Venice isn’t just sinking, it’s shrinking. In the 1970s, Centro Storico, Venice’s main island and historic center, had approximately 175,000 inhabitants. As of last year, the number was below 50,000. What has been growing steadily is the tourism industry, which has been crowding out residents due to economic and quality-of-life pressures. In fact, Venice now has more beds for tourists than residents. Last year, 20 million people came here, winding their way through the 2 square miles of land.

Last week, Venice took action against overtourism by charging day trippers a €5 fee to enter the city. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told a news conference that the goal “is not to shut down the city, but not to let it explode.”

The plan’s official launch on April 25 — a historic date since it is both Italy’s Liberation Day and the feast day of the city’s patron saint, St. Mark — led the mayor’s words to an unexpected direction. direction, roughly a thousand protesters gathered in the Roman Forum to oppose the measure, eventually clashing with police in riot gear.

Although the measure is designed in part to help make their city more livable, residents have expressed a range of concerns. They object to the idea of ​​living in a closed city. Some people believe that ticketing turns their city into an amusement park – Veniceland.Critics say it’s also a major irony that the government is simultaneously considering multiple ways to increase tourism, ranging from trade-offs to Cruise ship returns to lagoon Relax Airbnb restrictions.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime destination for many tourists from around the world, and probably the most significant criticism is that the cost is unlikely to deter anyone from visiting the city.

“Almost the entire city is against it,” said Matteo Secchi, leader of a residents’ activist group. tell the guardian. “You can’t charge admission to a city; all they’re doing is turning it into a theme park. … I mean, are we kidding?”

On the first day of implementation, 113,000 people registered, 16,000 of whom paid the fee, and others who were exempted for various reasons, including hotel accommodation, commuters, students, visiting relatives or friends, according to the mayor’s office. them.

Despite its many critics, the day fee is a major step by the Venice government to combat the challenge of overtourism, which has become a major global issue since the pandemic. “This government is the first to actually take action after 30 years of chatter about curbing tourism growth,” said Antonio Paolo Russo, a Venice-born professor of urban geography at the University of Rovira Ivirgli. government.

But Russo, speaking for many experts, said the measure appeared likely to fall short in terms of effectiveness and was laced with political posturing and an obscure profit motive. “With such a huge demand, five euros will not make any difference… The fate of tourism in this city is determined by the way it is regulated,” he said.

Venice is the first location to require a ticket to enter the city – making the city an attraction in its own right – and legal challenges are still possible in national or EU courts under laws on freedom of movement in public places.Other popular tourist destinations have similar schemes but are limited to locations and attractions within the city, e.g. Barcelona Guell Park.

Charging tourists to enter popular destinations works around the world, but only if there is a clear flow of funds, such as environmental protection, and the revenue is kept separate from the government ledger. Belize Sanctuary Conservation Trust A pioneering movement 25 years ago met these criteria, and such programs are on the rise. Bali recently introduced a tourist tax to protect the destination’s environment, nature and culture. Barcelona just added its tourist tax, which Amsterdam recently raised highest rate in europe.this Various tax plans Application to tourists is likely to continue to grow around the world.

But Venice is Venice, and in discussions about overtourism, it remains unique in part because of its small size, history, beauty, and, in many ways, the sight of cruise ships as massive as Godzilla heading toward it symbolic impact. All of this makes the stakes for the new fee higher, and its chances of success greater.

Experts say good data is crucial to successfully combating overtourism.Existing plans – e.g. balearic islands or amsterdam — Collect comprehensive data for analysis. Russo said this worries him about the Venice project, which was not consistent with published studies before its implementation. “I’m not aware of any type of study previously commissioned by the city to assess the impact of introducing this system on visiting behavior. They may exist, but academics and local communities have not been informed,” Russo said.

More taxes, more marketing, more tourists

“One of the biggest concerns is how these funds are used and protected,” said Megan Epler Wood, managing director of Cornell University’s Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Program. In the case of Venice, The fee won’t deter visitors, but she said it doesn’t mean it’s not necessary: ​​”There is a real need for these funds,” Applewood said. But most of the tourist tax goes to tourism marketing, and the more tax that goes into marketing, the more tourists there will be, raising more tax to put back into marketing, which will bring in more tourists. “The longer it goes on, the harder it is to manage these numbers, as we saw in Venice,” Epler-Wood said.

If taxes are not specifically addressed”invisible burden” tourists, especially in vulnerable areas. In Venice, Epler-Wood says this can only be achieved by getting good data on what each visitor “costs” the impact they have on the places they visit, including the pressure they put on infrastructure.

“Managing utilities is part of the hidden burden of tourism because no one explains it, and that’s the problem with Venice’s new charges. They’re guessing. They don’t know how much each visitor will need to cope with the associated costs,” Epler Wood said.

Max Starkov, a hotel and technology consultant, said a lack of systematic action on the demand side has led to overtourism in some internationally renowned cities, locations and attractions during the peak season, while lack of interest in others Demand is low. If one hopes to limit visitor numbers, it boils down to applying typical supply and demand algorithms to peak seasons and popular destinations via a centralized booking system, as airlines and theme parks already do.

“Overtourism is becoming the new normal,” Starkov said. In his view, travel “has become people’s understanding of basic human needs. After physiological needs such as food, shelter, clothing, sleep, etc. are met, health, family and… travel follow.”

After the outbreak, the phenomenon of “revenge travel” has exacerbated the problem of paying for day trips to Venice and may become a symptom of overtourism rather than a solution.

“Overtourism is not just overtourism. It is a failure of government policy and the inability to regulate and shape tourism,” said Joseph Cheer, professor of sustainable tourism at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. Manifestation results.

He said the Venice fee arrived at the end of an already troubled process rather than getting into the demand side to better control it. “Taxes and fees are a blunt instrument, assuming tourists are price-sensitive. This is problematic for a ‘once in a lifetime’ destination like Venice,” Schell said.