Overtourism in Venice

Fundamental to the depopulation of Venice is how hard tourism has made it to live there. With time, overtourism changes the face and the character of a city. The food in the restaurants, the produce in shops, even the music being played in bars, all cater to tourist tastes, not the needs of local people. Job opportunities dwindle as employers gradually move to the mainland because of skyrocketing rents, leading to an economic monoculture where one industry dominates, in this case tourism.

“There is virtually no economic activity in Venice outside of tourism,” says Giovanna Consonni of our partner Stile Italiano Tours. “Small businesses that once served the community have disappeared. One beloved toy shop was forced to close when the rent became unaffordable. The property sat empty for five years before being turned into yet another real estate agency.”

Groceries close as tourists prefer to eat out, and small, family-owned restaurants struggle unless they adapt to fast turnovers. Tourists, especially day trippers with little time to spare, typically want to quickly eat, pay and return to their sightseeing, as opposed to locals who may prefer a more leisurely meal. Those restaurants that don’t adapt are replaced by low-cost chain eateries that typically serve poor quality food yet still charge high prices.

Venetians don’t just struggle with finding things like fresh fruit or school supplies. Just finding a suitable, reasonably priced home is a challenge, as so many properties have been converted to short term holiday rentals. Platforms like Airbnb are a significant contributory factor to overtourism, though cruise ships and cheap flights are the principal causes.

Crowding is the most visible effect of overtourism in Venice, but it is really only the San Marco neighbourhood, where many of the city’s most iconic sites are located, that is completely overwhelmed. Get beyond the main tourist area and things do get significantly quieter.

But there’s no escaping the crowding on Venice’s public transport. Residents often find themselves having to wait for the next vaporetto (waterbus) because the current one is full of tourists with luggage. There are no designated boarding areas for locals and workers, which would help to alleviate the pressure.

Life for those who continue to live in Venice is impaired by the constant presence of tourists. On any given day, residents are forced to put up with noisy wheelie suitcases; groups of people singing, shouting and talking loudly; selfie sticks brandished in all directions; and often disrespectful behaviour like swimming in canals or picnicking on bridges. They see the city they love and call home being littered, its artisan spirit being eroded in favour of chain restaurants and gift shops.

While egregious cases of bad behaviour do sometimes make the headlines, this kind of low-level annoyance happens day-in, day-out, with little evidence of fines or bans having any effect. Residents can be forgiven for thinking that Venice is run entirely for the benefit of tourists, rather than the people that actually live there.

Of course, not everyone agrees that overtourism is as much of a threat to Venice. Many Venetians make a good living from the constant churn of visitors through the city and the worst of the crowding affects a relatively small area. Concern about rising sea levels, which are leading to flooding and pollution, is another reason some people are choosing to leave the city.

Venice’s paid entry system, which applies to day visitors arriving during the peak season of April to July, has been heavily criticised as flawed, ineffective, and little more than a sop to UNESCO to avoid being blacklisted. It costs less than a glass of wine in Saint Mark’s Square, and has more complications than a gondolier’s jersey has stripes, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.

“Stewards cannot request ID or verify the type of ticket purchased, and there are numerous exceptions such as for residents, workers, locals, and tourists staying overnight, making enforcement chaotic,” says Giovanna. “Worse still, the system has created bottlenecks at entry points like train stations, where workers and tourists alike get stuck. Data privacy concerns have also emerged. Residents are required to submit personal data of friends or family they host, a detail overlooked in the planning stages.”

And as if that weren’t enough, the money generated is used predominantly to fund the system itself, rather than any improvements to Venice. In short, says Giovanna, “the programme fails to limit crowds, fails to help the city, and is riddled with enforcement loopholes.”

Cruises make up only a small part of the global tourism industry but some coastal destinations like Venice see a high concentration of ships. Venice is a small city, and when several ships arrive in a day it leads to overwhelming numbers of day trippers.

Large cruise ships are banned from the Venetian Lagoon and the city’s historic centre, and must now dock either in Marghera on the mainland, or further afield in Ravenna or Trieste, from where passengers can be bussed into Venice. The move was prompted by overtourism, but also to improve the environment – air pollutants from engine emissions fell 80 percent in Venice following the ban.

“This is the only significant measure that has had some impact,” says Giovanna, “and moving them also brings economic benefits to these other areas. It’s a major relief that ships no longer pass through Saint Mark’s Basin, but the risk of their return remains.”

Tourist groups in Venice are limited to 25 people and guides must be officially licensed, with the threat of on-the-spot fines for infringements. The restrictions are not flawless. They do nothing to reduce visitor numbers, since larger groups are just split up. Illegal ‘free tours’ continue without meaningful enforcement, undercutting professional guides and avoiding all taxes and rules.

But while these rules were initially met with resistance, they have resulted in a better experience for both guides and tourists. Mandatory headsets have also dramatically reduced noise pollution for residents. “Previously tour guides would have to shout over crowds in narrow alleys making life unbearable for residents,” says Giovanna.

If it feels like you’re being watched when you’re in Venice, that’s because you are. In a project joint-financed with the European Union, Venetian authorities use a ‘Smart Control Room’ to monitor and understand the flow of people through the city. The aim is to learn which streets and neighbourhoods suffer most from crowding, and when.

Using sensors in high-traffic areas, the system can detect mobile devices and identify from which country someone originates, which direction they are travelling in, and how fast they are moving. Operators also monitor crowding and delays on public transport, which influence the flow of tourists through the city.

At Responsible Travel, we believe that travel should be treated as a privilege and not a right, and it’s a privilege we should use with care. This means travelling in ways which maximise positive impacts and minimise the negative ones.

Visit off peak – Venice in the winter is eerily beautiful, and often cheaper. Choose to stay several nights, too. Shop and eat locally, and explore beyond Saint Mark’s Square, to avoid the popular hotspots and spread your Euros a little further – there’s magic in the hidden corners of Venice. As always, travel respectfully. Talk to local people, learn a few words of Italian, dress and behave appropriately. Travelling thoughtfully means having respect for those who live in a place, and respect is what those clinging onto a life in this beautiful but troubled city deserve.

Fairbnb is an ethical alternative to Airbnb that was founded in Venice. All of its rentals are genuinely owned by local people, and owners are capped on the number of properties they can advertise. Plus, 50 percent of the platform fees are channelled into social projects that aim to counter the negative effects of tourism. In Venice, they include an NGO that organises clean-ups of defaced public buildings and monuments.

“Venice is not just a backdrop for postcards, it is a living city,” says Giovanna, “and if we continue down this path, we risk losing not just its soul, but its very ability to survive. Ultimately the problem is that everyone wants to see the same places at the same time. Until that mindset changes, little will improve.”