Death in tourism Venice – you always hurt the one you love

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Venice gets massive negative publicity – how many other prime destinations are on Death by Tourism row?

Bang in the middle of Sustainable Tourism Year  a massive barrage of negative publicity will certainly hit tourism to Venice and go towards destroying a tourism brand that has been predominant for centuries

And as tourism figures soar many other destinations are in line for the same overcrowding and negative treatment.

Recently an estimated 2,000 Venetians marched against a tourism industry they argue has eroded their quality of life, that is damaging the environment and driving residents away.

Venice’s population has fallen from about 175,000 in the post-second world war years to 55,000 today. Set this against 28 million annual visitors in a fragile world heritage site and you see the problem.

Carlo Beltrame, one of the demonstration’s organizers told the UK Independent "Around 2,000 people leave each year. If we go on this way, in a few years’ time Venice will only be populated by tourists. This would be a social, anthropological and historical disaster."

Whether irritated by selfie sticks, noisy wheelie suitcases or people snacking on one of the 391 bridges, Venetians’ contempt towards the millions of visitors who flood the city each year is now alarming.

Local residents blame the enormous cruise ships that chug through the Giudecca canal four or five times a day, emitting fumes before disgorging thousands of people – on some days as many as 44,000 – into the historic centre where they buy from Chinese-owned souvenir shops.

They are also angry about the surge in the number of B&Bs fostered by global OTAs such as Airbnb, which make it impossible for residents to find a home to rent on a long-term contract.

One resident believes the answer to Venice’s woes lies in the Veneto region, among Italy’s richest, obtaining independence from Rome. A referendum will be held in October. "Venice would be better managed by Venetian heads, not Roman ones," he said. "If we had an official referendum, Veneto would definitely vote to break away.

And it’s happening around the world – here is a personal view of a resident of another prime tourism destination.

As tourism goes for massive game and destinations characterize their success in terms of headcounts instead of benefits, other prime destinations are in line for "Death by Tourism"

And what about the tourists? Will they carry on travelling to destinations where they are clearly unwelcome and seen as  pariahs?

Florence, Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Majorca, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Paris, Amsterdam and others are all in danger unless their local governments take action to manage tourism effectively.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle