Venice is set to begin its trial run for a new tourist tax and ticket system during the peak days of its spring and summer seasons next year. Residents who already feel outnumbered by tourists fear this will only solidify Venice’s image as a destination rather than a city. They’re turning to their own methods to preserve their city.
Large groups of tourists gather in San Marco’s Piazza
Picture: Josephine Harty
By Josephine Harty & Larissa Kuiper
“It’s about the kinds of people that come here and their reasons for coming. So, if it’s a question of, ‘oh I just need to tick it off my bucket list’- don’t come, stay home,” says Venice local, Deirdre Kelly.
Looking in, tourists see only the canals, romantic Italian architecture and abundance of acclaimed artworks. Looking out, Venetians see the world closing in on them as 2023 becomes the first year that the number of beds in the city made available to tourists outnumbers those reserved for residents.
To combat overtourism, a new tax and ticket system has been developed and is set to see its trial run next year in attempt to regulate the influx of daytrippers during the city’s peak season. Residents have long felt ignored in the ongoing conversation of how to manage tourism and many have taken the plight into their own hands; finding ways to preserve Venetian culture and maintain the city’s charm sustainably. Citizens too have begun to develop tourism practices for outsiders to take care when visiting their floating city.
Overtourism by definition and in practice
Although being a word found in the oxford dictionary, the concept of overtourism in practice finds more detail when placed in the context of an actual location.
Emin Altun is a PhD researcher at the University of Venice’s school of governance. In his thesis on overtourism in Venice, he finds the meaning behind overtourism in its effects on a location.
“Overtourism creates problems of alienation, environmental degradation, poor visitor experience and cultural harm, all of which cost the economy, society and the environment,” he writes in his thesis.
He says these costs are not seen in admission fees paid by tourists but rather in the burden felt by residents.
In person, he reflects on what overtourism is like as a lived experience, having lived in Venice and previously worked in the tourism industry managing bookings of tours.
Altun says, “I [would] go out for lunch, pass from the Rialto Bridge and then I struggle to get past the tourists, that’s a problem, why am I angry at my customers?”
This is what he describes as the “dichotomy of tourism” a supposed ‘us versus them’ that has been formed between Venetians and tourists.
Tourism in conflict with Venetian Life
Emin Altun is not alone in his frustration at tourists as censuses revealed that by September of this year, the number of beds reserved for tourists in the city of Venice had surpassed those available for residents by more than 300. Venetians’ concerns over the loss of their culture is growing as there is less space made available to them.
Giovanni, is a gondolier who grew up in Venice, whose livelihood relies on tourism meaning he has needed to find ways to manage the hordes of foreigners that Venice receives daily. He described how on many of his tours, his boat’s visitors prefer him to row quietly as they take pictures rather than listen to him explain the history of the buildings and architecture around them.
Giovanni also elects to work in Venice and take residence in Lido, a nearby island to find reprieve from the crowds:
“In summertime, yes there are also a lot of people, but it’s different from Venice. It’s an island with the sea… [there] is the place where people from Venice escape and stay [there] in the summertime because [there] you can relax.”
Diedre Kelly is a local artist practising in Venice. Her studio overlooks one of the many canals that make Venice so unique. Her work incorporates motifs from Venice’s artisanry as she expresses the sacredness of these practices. Although not born in Venice, she finds herself intertwined with “the fabric of the place” as she has raised her son here with her Venetian husband.
The view from Deirdre’s work desk, in her workshop at Scuola Internazionale di grafica San Marcuola
Picture: Larissa Kuiper
She describes that Venetian life was a “magical experience” when the city first came out of its severe COVID-19 lockdown, prior to the return of tourists:
“One special thing happened, which was kind of instinctive, which is that locals like myself, wanted to go to Piazza San Marco because that is psychologically the centre of Venice […] That’s the kind of normal thing. If you live in any other town. But it made me realise that the Piazza San Marco is kind of off ground for Venetians because it’s always full of tourists.”
She continues: “for the first time, we went to the Piazza and saw people we knew. It was kind of crazy, and actually the Venetians liked it”.
Action from the Venetian residents
Over the years, several organisations and projects have been set up by citizens in Venice to take action. For example, Marco Gasparenetti, founder of ‘Gruppo25aprile,’ believes it is important to create more awareness.
‘Gruppo25aprile’ is the largest NGO standing and campaigning for residents’ rights in Venice. Gasparenetti is very aware of how the problems currently occurring in Venice have great influence on the residents; overtourism being one of many.
”When I was born in Venice, we were 150,000 people, by now we are less than 50,000. This means that we have lost more than 2/3 of the population. I think there is no other city in Europe that loses those many residents.”
Gasparenetti also says that the population is steadily ageing. Young children grow up in Venice, but when they go to college they leave for the mainland.
Gasparenetti thinks it is essential for tourists to share his awareness of the problems Venice is experiencing:
“Often people ask at what time does Venice close? We don’t close, we are not an amusement park. This is a city where people still live, where they make children. We have schools, we have a hospital and we do need to preserve the basic services which allow people to still live in that. Making people and tourists realise this is the main mission of Gruppo25Aprile.’’
Venice is home to other organisations that stand to secure the rights of its citizens. Leo James Smith is the co-founder of Venice Calls, a group of young Venetians who are trying to build a network and a shared consciousness/ shared power and connection between the remaining Venetians.
Smith says he tries to remain optimistic in his thoughts and initiatives, but he also sees the dangers that large groups of tourists pose to the island.
Smith on his way to the Venice Calls offices, aboard a waterbus
Picture: Josephine Harty
He explains how a lot has changed in Venice since his childhood. For example, Smith has seen the housing crisis increase in recent years and the danger climate change poses to the island, causing the high water and flooding in Venice.
He has also been witness to Venice becoming a checklist to tourists. Tourists often come for only a day, visit San Marco, take a gondolier ride, eat in a restaurant and leave again. Smith sees more advantages in ‘slow tourism’.
“I believe there should be more ‘slow tourism’, more high quality tourism and less numbers or more spread out. It would be nice to not have all the tourists in a high peak during the summer but to have a spread out season.’’
Smith implements a defence against this in his contribution to Venice Calls, grouping together his fellow citizens who share his vision for a sustainable city:
“With this network, we want to do what we feel is good for the city, which can be cleaning up the beaches, doing some environmental conferences or having parties with local artists, musicians and painters,” Smith says.
‘Slow tourism’, but also sustainable tourism, is the biggest goal of GreenerEU Venice. Isabella Mavellia, CEO of GreenerEU, like Marco Gasparenetti, believes that more awareness and a movement should be created among citizens.
”Citizens are the power behind politics. We have to work together to change things,” says Mavellia.
GreenerEU works towards this change by setting up projects that make tourists think more sustainably. Mavellia devised the Venice Smart card that gives tourists and Venice’s remote workers access to exclusive and sustainable spaces. This card draws in more residents through demonstrating how Venice can be an ideal working space and allows visitors to see more than the city’s most overcrowded areas.
In this way, GreenerEU tries to contribute not only to the future of Venice but also to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations member states in 2015.
Will a tourist fee help Venice?
In addition to founding GruppoAprile25, Gasparenetti is now actively working as a city councillor. This is where decisions are made about tourism in Venice, but also about the state and health of its water and citizens.
For example, from August 1 2021, large cruise ships were no longer allowed to sail through the centre of Venice. Instead of sailing past the iconic St. Mark’s Square and up the narrow Giudecca Canal and docking in the city centre port, the large cruise ships will be diverted to Venice’s lagoon and dock on the mainland, in the industrial port of Venice. Marghera. This is to protect the lagoon and the buildings of Venice.
To protect the city from large groups of tourists, Venice wants to begin charging day trippers for accessing the city 2024. Their current plan is to charge these tourists five euros to receive an entrance ticket the city. This will make Venice the first city in the world to implement an entrance fee. The trial period for this plan will start in the spring of 2024 and will be carried out on the city’s peak days until the end of Summer.
What will happen with the money from these tickets is yet to be determined by the Italian authorities. It remains unclear whether this money will be used to create a sustainable and clean Venice.
“If they don’t spend this money on Venice in a decent way, you’ll see me in the news,” says Smith. “I will protest like crazy!”
Yet Smith does not think the idea of the tickets is crazy, he thinks it is reasonable.
“People who are staying in the hotel are already paying taxes and the people that are from the region here do not have to pay the taxes. So it’s just people that come here for the day and I think that’s good.’’
However, not everyone sees this as the right solution. Anna Moretti, professor of destination management at the University of Venice, indicates that the tickets will only be a short-term solution.
”We can make tourists pay more and let fewer tourists enter Venice, but this is not what needs to be changed. It’s the mentality of people that need to change, both from the tourism industry in the city and from the local community itself.”
Despite the large numbers, Venice is still dependent on tourists. Moretti believes that the right balance and a shared vision must be found.
”This is what we lack. We don’t know what’s the vision for Venice for the future.”
Sustainable solutions
Despite what Venice may be lacking, the citizens of Venice’s actions and initiatives show a desire to protect their home. Many of these actions target tourists themselves, in an attempt to educate them on the impact they have on the city.
Tourists entering one of Venice’s many souvenir shops
Picture: Josephine Harty
Isabella Mavellia of GreenEU has developed multi-modal maps that allow tourists to be more evenly dispersed around the city, creating more breathing space in Venice’s tourist hotspots.
“They are interactive maps, both digital as well as printed on recycled algae paper from the Venetian Lagoon,” she says.
Maviellia continues, “So when you arrive in Venice, you should not just go through Samarco and Rialto, but you discover cultural heritage in an easy and accessible way, digitally, interactively as well as intellectually,”
Leo James Smith, whilst working amongst citizens during his hours with Venice Calls, also works directly in the tourism industry as a guide. He ensures the carrying out of ‘slow tourism’ in the way he structures his tours:
“I work with agencies that are careful with this. I never choose groups […] if they ask me, Leo, can you take this group of eight to 10 people? I say no […] because Venice is not meant for big groups, [they] are horrible, they clog the city”
Further, he is against selling the “fairytale” version of Venice other guides try to produce; rather he shows in his tours a more well-rounded look at the city.
“We should really try to educate these people on the beauty and also the challenges of the city,” he continues.
Watch the slideshow below to find out how Venice became the tourist-flooded destination it is today:
