Venice to ‘segregate’ tourists from locals
Plans to segregate tourists from locals in Venice in a bid to control overcrowding have been described as ‘shocking’ and ‘sad’ by Responsible Travel.
The company’s founder and CEO Justin Francis was responding to news city officials have said they’ll separate visitors from residents this weekend.
The decision was taken after huge numbers of tourists descended over Easter on the city, which is already struggling because of ‘over-tourism’.
Francis said: "How has this beautiful city ended up in this position? For decades tourism has been threatening Venice.
"They’ve found it impossible, or been unwilling, to confront the growth of tourists visiting from cruise ships or as Airbnb guests.
"The mentality has been one of ‘growth at all costs’, to the detriment of local people and the very soul and essence of the city.
"Now we end up with segregation of tourists and locals.
"It seems it’s now official that Venice has been reduced to a theme park, with Disney crowd control enforced.
"Tourism is about bringing people together, locals and visitors, and when done properly, both parties should reap the benefits. It should never be about segregation. In my view, it’s tragic that it has come to this."
The Telegraph reports authorities are to employ ‘unprecedented crowd control measures to separate tourists from locals’ during the busy bank holiday weekend ahead.
It says tourists heading for landmarks such as St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge will be diverted to tourist-only routes, away from ‘long-suffering locals who have for years complained that their day-to-day lives are made a misery by the invasion of visitors’.
Tourist numbers are expected to peak between Saturday and Tuesday, May 1, which is a public holiday in Italy and many other countries.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he has signed a decree which contains ‘urgent measures to guarantee public safety, security and livability in the historic city of Venice’.
"The tourist flows heading to Rialto or San Marco will be directed on alternative routes," the city council said.
The measure is partly in response to this year’s Easter long weekend, when Venice was inundated with even more tourists than usual and visitors had to wait for up to an hour to board the city’s ‘vaporetto’ water buses, the Telegraph added.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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