Tourism Flows in Venice: A personal perspective
DOI reference: 13673882.2023.00001010
By Efthymios – Spyridon Georgiou
This article presents a personal reflection on the complex relationship between the daily life of Venice and the city’s tourism flows. Venice’s rich cultural, historical, environmental, economic, and architectural assets are widely recognised, with the city being designated as a UNESCO cultural site. Furthermore, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG Goal 8.9, emphasises the need to promote sustainable tourism that generates employment opportunities while preserving local culture and products (United Nations, 2023). The tourism flows in Venice are framed by several significant advantages to the city. Firstly, the historical background of Venice, including its Venetian Empire, naval history, and trade, is a powerful draw for tourists. Accessibility to the city is provided through three main routes: the sea, western and central Italy, and northern Europe.
However, the tourism flows also present significant challenges to Venice. The sheer number of tourists visiting the city leads to issues such as overpopulation, overcrowding, and environmental degradation. The sustainability and long-term viability of tourism in Venice are at risk if these challenges are not addressed. Therefore, it is crucial to implement measures that promote sustainable tourism while preserving the city’s unique cultural heritage and economic vitality. While Venice’s tourism flows significantly benefit the city’s economy and cultural heritage, the challenges posed by overtourism must be addressed. A comprehensive approach that balances visitors’ needs with the preservation of local resources and quality of life for residents is essential for the sustainability of tourism in Venice.
The tourism flow in Venice provides several benefits to the city, including:
- Preservation and Promotion of Culture and Architectural Heritage: Venice’s rich historical legacy dates back centuries and is a significant draw for tourists. The preservation and protection of the city’s cultural and architectural assets serve as a developmental physiognomy for the city, creating employment opportunities, promoting local artisans, and generating income for the local economy.
- Cultural and Artistic Activities: Venice offers a wealth of cultural and artistic activities such as the Carnival, museums, jogging, the arts, music, cine, and theatre, which serve as innovative developmental tools for the city. These activities generate employment opportunities and promote the city’s cultural heritage while offering tourists a unique and enriching experience.
- Opportunities in the Summer Season: The exchange of ideas and cultural values during the summer season in Venice offers opportunities for solidarity and peace, promoting international understanding and cooperation.
- Market Opportunities: The Great Market, a bustling hub of activity in Venice, provides an essential source of income and employment for the local economy. It offers tourists various products, including locally crafted souvenirs, food, and beverages.
- Locally Designed Offerings: Venice is home to a thriving community of designers, artisans, and craftspeople whose unique products and services are a significant target of the city’s economy. Italian history is renowned for its distinctive and famous products, and Venice is no exception, offering tourists the opportunity to purchase locally designed offerings that are unique to the city.
The tourism flow in Venice provides several benefits to the city, ranging from cultural and artistic activities to employment opportunities and economic growth. In addition, the city’s rich cultural heritage, architectural legacy, and the availability of diverse locally designed offerings make Venice a unique and attractive destination for tourists worldwide.
The challenge of tourism flows
Venice is a unique place. Citizens of Venice, especially older families, have lived in this place for many years. The daily routine has already changed; Companies, universities, and professional life must adapt to the new modern reality. Imagine that natural beauty often leads to overcrowding problems. Citizens need security daily—the emotional stress increases because the flow of tourists is very high, especially in summer. Venice is currently experiencing significant challenges due to the high influx of tourism. As a result, the city’s fragile ecosystem is facing two critical issues: firstly, the excessive arrival of cruise ships leading to an overflow in the water, and secondly, the uncontrolled number of tourists resulting in overpopulation. These challenges harm the city’s environment and infrastructure, with severe consequences for the residents’ quality of life. The environmental degradation caused by the overflow of cruise ships has become a primary concern, with the city’s canals and lagoon being subjected to significant pollution levels. Moreover, the uncontrolled number of tourists has led to overcrowding Venice’s narrow streets and public areas, which are not designed to accommodate such high volumes of people. These issues threaten tourism’s sustainability and long-term viability in Venice, and urgent measures are required to address them. The following recommendations are proposed. By implementing these measures, stakeholders can help to mitigate the negative impact of tourism flows and create a more sustainable, equitable, and enjoyable experience for both residents and visitors in Venice.
Recommendation for practice:
Recommendation 1
To promote sustainable tourism in Venice, it is crucial to prioritise the safety and security of both tourists and citizens. The city attracts a significant number of visitors each year, but their behaviour can often be disruptive and threaten the well-being of locals. Therefore, improving the sense of security among citizens is essential to fostering a positive environment for both residents and tourists. This includes measures such as increasing police presence in high-traffic areas, implementing strict rules and regulations for behaviour in public spaces, and promoting non-motorised forms of transportation such as walking and cycling (Alberti, 2022).
Recommendation 2
Continuous monitoring and control of the urban landscape are vital for Venice’s sustainable tourism. By closely observing and analysing changes in the city’s physical environment, experts can identify areas of development, strengths, weaknesses, and potential risks to the city’s cultural and architectural heritage. This process requires advanced tools such as powerful software, aerial photography, and drones to facilitate data collection and analysis. With a better understanding of the urban landscape, city planners and policymakers can make informed decisions to protect and promote sustainable tourism in Venice.
Recommendation 3
The use of traditional measures in today’s world is no longer sufficient. With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, new and innovative solutions have emerged that can revolutionise how we approach various challenges. Software, satellites, aerial photography, and satellite imagery are significant advantages that can be leveraged to achieve better results. Digital measurements are a modern tool that is rapidly evolving and can provide precise and accurate data. For example, vector and raster datasets and laser scanning can capture three-dimensional information about buildings and other structures, such as the drum tower. This information can be used to create databases and three-dimensional information services crucial for preserving architectural and cultural heritage. Virtualisation and documentation can also be used to represent such structures accurately.
Cartography, digital representation, digital terrain models, and statistical visualisation are some results that can be obtained using these advanced technologies. However, it is essential to note that technology development is a dynamic process that requires continuous training, information, and participation in seminars, conferences, and courses for professionals. Therefore, professionals must keep themselves updated with the latest developments to leverage these technologies to their fullest potential.
Recommendation 4
Effective communication is essential for promoting a city’s image; realistic advertising is a modern way of achieving this. Authenticity, proximity, and immediacy are crucial elements that contribute to the message’s credibility. One way of improving a city’s image is through urban branding, where the city’s visual appearance is transformed into a brand image. This approach has been widely recognised as an effective means of promoting a city. Sharing genuine information and advertisements that closely reflect reality is vital. Venice’s maps can represent moments of daily life, historical events, and businesses in the city. Using cartographic images in the form of plans is an innovative way of depicting a city. To create a successful advertising campaign, it is essential to have the political will to invest in technology, history, culture, trade, music, theatre, sports, and gastronomy. Continuous efforts in this regard can enhance the city’s image and attract more visitors.
Recommendation 5
The market is a crucial aspect of Venice’s development, and it requires a comprehensive and adaptable approach in today’s liberal economy. Venice’s market must be coherent with the local, regional, national, European, and global markets to promote peace, solidarity, love, and financial stability. To ensure this coherence, explicit solutions are needed to address the challenges faced by humanity. Urban waterfront projects are vital in urban planning and political interests. They can transform industrial or logistics areas into commercial, residential, recreational areas, or green belts, as has been done since the 1970s (D’Auria & Di Ruocco, 2022). To ensure successful urban waterfront development, it is essential to consider the diverse needs of the local community and tourists. Therefore, Venice should involve stakeholders in planning to create a market-oriented approach catering to local and global demands. This approach can provide economic opportunities and sustainable development to Venice and the wider community.
In conclusion, the sustainable development of Venice requires a multidimensional approach that considers both the economic and environmental impact of tourism and the preservation of its cultural heritage. Implementing innovative and modern tools, such as online applications and mapping technologies, can provide practical solutions to achieve this goal. However, involving all stakeholders, including citizens and tourists, is crucial to ensure everyone is responsible for preserving this unique city. By embracing sustainable practices and working together towards a common goal, Venice can continue to thrive as a vibrant and culturally rich destination for future generations.
References
Alberti, F., & Nofroni, L. (2022). From car-oriented development toward a bicycle friendly environment. A case study in the Mugello Valley in Tuscany. In Urban Planning and Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (7th Edition, 2022, Vol. Book of Abstract, pp. 50–50). essay, Urban Planning and Architectural Design for Sustainable Development.
D’Auria, A., & Di Ruocco, I. (2022). Waterfront redevelopment in deindustrialised areas: the role of social impact assessment for a sustainable transition. The case study of Castellammare di Stabia’s waterfront. In Urban Planning and Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (7th Edition, 2022, Vol. Book of Abstract, pp. 88–88). essay, Urban Planning and Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (UPADSD).