L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 L'Italo-Americano W e say it so o f t e n : s o m e o f our cities a r e t r u e open-air museums, but how would we feel if we, actually, had to pay a ticket to walk their streets? Well, we're just about to f i n d o u t b e c a u s e t h i s i s exactly what visitors to one of Italy's most famous desti- nations, Venice, will soon have to do. The relationship between La Serenissima and tourism has always been one o f l o v e a n d h a t e : l o v e , because much of the city's wealth comes from tourists a n d t h e b i l l i o n s o f e u r o i n d u s t r y t h a t r e v o l v e s around them, from hospital- ity to cultural events, from m u s e u m s t o c o m m e r c e . Hate, because the delicate environmental equilibrium of the lagoon, as well as the patience of locals, are often put to the test by the mil- lions of visitors the city wel- comes every year. Starting from the 16th of J a n u a r y 2 0 2 3 , a l l p e o p l e coming to Venice on a day trip will have to pay a fee that will go from 3 to 10 euro ( 3 . 1 5 t o 1 0 . 5 0 U S D ) , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e s e a s o n and on the number of people already in town that day. This is to ensure that the m a n y d a i l y t o u r i s t s w h o crowd Venetian calli almost e v e r y d a y o f t h e y e a r – bringing very little financial b e n e f i t s t o i t s e c o n o m y , though – contribute to the city's upkeeping and welfare. As you can see, the decision will not affect those who stay overnight, that is, tourists who not only invest in the city's hospitality industry but are also more likely to contribute to its economy by e a t i n g o u t , a n d v i s i t i n g museums and stores. The aim isn't to introduce an official limit to the num- b e r o f d a i l y t o u r i s t s t o t h e l a g u n a b u t r a t h e r t o incentivize people to stay for m o r e t h a n o n e d a y a n d e n j o y t h e c i t y i n a m o r e r e l a x e d m a n n e r , w h i c h would also be less intrusive for locals. The first to pay the conse- quences of Venice's "entry fee" – which doesn't apply to children and people with disabilities – are cruise ship t o u r i s t s , a s u n d e r l i n e d b y D e u t s c h e W e l l e . I n d e e d , t h e q u e s t i o n o f whether large cruise ships should be allowed into the lagoon was long debated, a n d w h i l e t o d a y t h e y n o longer get into the Bacino di San Marco, they still bring hundreds of thousands of daily visitors to town: each of them will have to book their ticket and pay unless the procedure is taken care of by the cruise organizers. Some may argue whether charging to enter a town is right, but a quick look at numbers is likely to clear some doubts. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, Venice welcomed 19 million day-tourists, which counts for 80% of all visitors it had in 12 months; we are talking here about a town of only over 260.000, roughly the s i z e o f B u f f a l o ( N Y ) , b u t with notable peculiarities when it comes to transporta- tion and urbanization. But the heart of Venice, the part of the city we visit, only has 5 0 . 0 0 0 r e s i d e n t s a n d a n a r e a o f 2 s q u a r e m i l e s where, more often than not, d a y t o u r i s t s o u t n u m b e r locals 2 to 1. Venice's tourism commis- sioner, Simone Venturi- ni is adamant the fee has not been put in place to reduce daily visitors, but rather to ensure there is more control o v e r a s i t u a t i o n t h a t h a d been going, in the eyes of many, out of hand: " We're talking about incentives and disincentives," he explained, and of a system which, it is hoped, should "reduce fric- tions between day visitors and residents." T h e p r o b l e m o f o v e r - tourism in La Serenissima is not new, as the Veneto capi- tal has been probably, along w i t h F l o r e n c e , t h e m o s t notable "victim" of non-reg- u l a t e d t o u r i s m s i n c e t h e 1960s. Venice's mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted that the booking system is "the right way to go if we want to man- age tourism in a more bal- anced way." O n l i n e , r e a c t i o n s h a v e been quite negative, with many swearing they will no longer visit Venice. Yet, the idea, in the end, isn't all that wrong. A place like Venice must be protected: its urban fabric is fragile and so is the environment where the city d e v e l o p e d ; b e c a u s e o f a l l t h i s , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , there is such a thing as too many people in too short a time. Local authorities have clearly explained that the idea is to reduce a specific type of tourism, that mordi e fuggi ("take a bite and go") trend that only creates chaos and fails both the visitor and the city: the first cannot truly understand and experience the beauty of Venice in the space of one afternoon; the latter only gains huge crowds and very little income from visitors who have barely the time to take a look around, let alone visiting museums, eat out or enjoy some shop- ping, thus bringing financial benefits to the local econo- my. The decision remains con- troversial and only time will t e l l w h e t h e r V e n e t i a n authorities had the right idea a n d , i f t h i s i s t h e c a s e , whether other cities in Italy will follow suit. CHIARA D'ALESSIO Rialto Bridge in Venice: from January 2023, if you plan to stay only for the day, you'll have to get a ticket (Photo: Adinabulina/Dreamstime) Are we ready to get a ticket to visit Venice? ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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