Lord Norwich: Tourism in Venice is Reaching Meltdown
Legendary history writer John Julius Norwich knows Venice better than most, if not all. Having recently edited The Great Cities in History (Thames & Hudson; see more info here), an epic ramble through the pioneering places in human history, he has also penned A History of Venice: The Rise to Empire and Venice: A Traveller's Companion - and was, until recently, on the board of the Venice in Peril Fund. No surprises, then, that Venice occupies its own page in Great Cities, at the pinnacle of renaissance culture.
Yet Lord Norwich, speaking to Heritage Key in this exclusive video, confides his worry for Venice's future. And while no-one can fully predict the tempestuous seas around the city, Venice's tourism troubles are all too apparent. "Venice is now becoming a very uncomfortable city," he says, "largely because there are so many tourists in the summer. They outnumber the natives by about five or six to one." This is an understatement: just 60,000 Veneziani still live in the lagoon, down from around 150,000 just 50 years ago. Conversely, in 2007 over 20 million tourists stepped off giant cruise liners into Venice, which crowd around the city like overbearing school bullies.
Centuries of history and beauty
Woven into a shimmering lagoon at the brow of the Adriatic, no city on earth can claim to be as unique as Venice. Dubbed La Serenissima (The Serene One), the city is a thing of immeasurable beauty: its myriad waterways, streets and squares mashed together in a vibrant tangle of energy and enigma. Yet Venice is in danger, and not just from the acqua alta (high water) which encroaches higher and higher each year. Many say a sea of tourists is sinking the city, robbing its culture and leaving it a hollow mirror image of the greatness it once achieved.
Inhabited since Roman times, Venice flourished in the 9th century AD, and ruled seas and trade routes from east to west for centuries thanks to its invaluable geography. An epic 13th to 15th century renaissance brought much of the stunning scenery still standing today, but the discovery of alternative trade routes to India, and costly wars with the Ottomans in the 1400s brought the once-mighty Republic of Venice to its knees. Independence was finally pillaged by Napoleon in 1797, before the city became part of the fledgling Kingdom of Italy in 1866 - and has stayed Italian ever since. But a modern foreign legion is wrecking Venice more than ever before, and they're armed not with swords and guns, but cameras and clipboards.
Poorer for wealth
Venice's hirsuit mayor Massimo Cacciari, an internationally respected philosopher, frets for his beloved home town's future. "(Venice) cannot be reduced to a postcard," he tells National Geographic. Strangely, this is a view echoed by the city's chief of tourism Augusto Salvadori. "The city is consumed by tourism," he moans. "What do Venetians get in exchange? Services are strained...the price of living (rises). "
This is an odd view to the outsider - you'd assume the one thing Venice could claw back from its hoards of invading sightseers is piles of cash. Yet Lord Norwich shares Salvadori's grim view. "Apart from buying some little souvenir and a bottle of hugely priced Coca-Cola, and more and more birdseed for those revoltingly overfed pigeons, they spend very little money" he says, visibly saddened. "And Venice just gets worn away, and gets no compensation virtually at all."
Yet Venice still has something for the traveller wanting some authenticity from a city which ruled world trade for around 500 years, from the ninth century AD onwards. "You only have to walk five minutes in any direction from Mark's Square and you've got the place practically to yourself," says Lord Norwich, who insists that in more spritely times he'd never sleep without walking the streets for up to two hours; getting lost in the lagoon's labyrinthine lanes. But there's no doubt the city needs help. Any suggestions? Some residents want to see taxes levied on tourists, but this is always an issue wrapped in reams of red tape. Cacciari moots the idea of closing Venice completely - "or perhaps, on reflection...a little fee."
Video: Lord Norwich talks about Venice
(Transcription of this video.)
Past breaking point?
Is Venice doomed to become nothing more than a shell of glories past? Lord Norwich is skeptical: "In another 20 or 30 years it will actually be the thinking man's Disneyland, a millionaire's playground," he says. "There won't be any people there: it will just be a museum city." Rising tides may yet claim Venice, but unless she gets help soon the city as we know her will have long since disappeared.
More Lord Norwich videos to come!
Lord Norwich is one of Britain's greatest storytellers, and he told us much more than the history of his beloved Venice. Watch out for two more videos coming soon to Heritage Key: about the world's great cities, as explored in his latest book; and on some of history's lesser-known tales - including the fall of empires and female Popes! Of course, we're always releasing videos here at HK - keep checking in for the latest from the ancient world. You can also keep track of our latest news, views and videos via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and iTunes - not to mention subscribing to our feeds. Exploring the planet's ancient past has never been easier with Heritage Key: Unlocking the Wonders.
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Great article, i had no idea this was happening until now. The thought of the place becoming a 'Museum City' really makes you think...!
Zx
It's a worrying thought indeed. I personally agree that people should be limited to stays at least three days long, to stop the hoards of day tourists giving nothing to the city.
I wonder if as Virtual Reality technology advances, if it will offer solutions to these types of issues. How close to reality would the experience have to be, for all the tourists to be happy visiting a virtual Venice, if they were banned from the real Venice.
Venice is an incredible place (I have to agree with Lord Norwich about the spookily abandoned nighttime streets, which you really don't need to try to get lost in) and it would be terrible to see it turned into a rich man's disneyland.
I'm not keen on the 3-day-minimum-stay idea. To me, that means preserving it for rich foreign tourists and putting off local Italians. People who live nearby probably drop in for the day or weekend on a regular basis, adding to the community, and what about those who live in rural areas for whom Venice is their nearest source of shops? Or those in tourist jobs who can't afford the Venice rents and so commute from outside the city?
Perhaps the Venetians should take a leaf out of Zahi Hawass's 'Book Of Cultural Preservation' and build a replica city nearby for the common tourists, preserving the real Venice for those who can afford the coca-cola?
I sit corrected; good point! Having been there I can totally allude to the empty streets, I can't get it into my head why anyone wouldn't want to explore it for the maze it is.
One could always vacation instead at the Venetian Hotel in Vegas. They have gondolas. And Blue Man group.
Very interesting article - it's so counterintuitive to think that a historic city like Venice is actually suffering as a result of its own popularity.
Sean, I see what you are trying to achieve with the three day limit idea but I think that isn't really workable in a European democracy. Anyway, I think such a scheme would speed up the transition to a 'museum city' as it would increase the turnover of visitors and prevent people venturing off the beaten track due to time constraints.
I would think some sort of entrance fee to the most popular areas of the city, such as Saint Mark's Square, should be charged to non-residents. This would not only allow the city to recoup funds for conservation but also encourage people to explore the rest of the city. The authorities need to think about how they can maximise income from the visitors by encouraging new attractions around the city and providing greater business advice to locals.
Cutberth, I thought that such an entrance fee was already included in the really expensive glass of coca-cola? ;) Don't the hotels chargea 'tourism fee' /surplus that gets returned to the city? (It was in an Italian city, just not sure which one had that system... .)
"The thinking man's Disneyland" - a sad and slightly terrifying thought. And 60,000 residents to 20 million tourists! Poor Venetians. That's a lot of omelettes.
But I still really want to visit. Should I feel guilty about that? I promise to leave everything exactly as I found it.
I like the idea of an entrance fee, though it'd be hard to push such a thing through legally. Let's not forget that through all this doom and gloom Venice is still one of the world's most beautiful cities, and well worth a visit!
I just returned from a week in Venice where I had many conversations with the locals on this topic. One woman who runs an apartment rental business said that ten years ago her business was full of Americans and Europeans coming for a week or ten days, renting an apartment, and truly staying in Venice. Now her average rental is just one night. That's a huge difference! More wear and tear on her properties. She must clean the apartments more frequently, do more laundry, and generally work harder to rent an apartment for far less time. And her guests then hop on a cruise ship and leave Venice having bought some trinkets instead of eating in restaurants, sipping coffee in cafes, and truly immersing themselves in Venetian life.
After so many conversations with the people most impacted by this, I agree with some of your commenters. Venice would be wise to place some restrictions on tourists requiring longer stays and fewer cruise ships at any given time. In order to make this possible, perhaps they can also invest in opening some lower-priced hotels and hostels... or making those who stay longer pay less. I do think that the common perception amongst travellers is that Venice is a very expensive place to stay. And that is true unless you really know what you are doing.
I know what you means...I have been roaming near Goa for the past 2 weeks...and I am addicted to this website.
Seriously..a place becoming a Museum City does make you think a lot...its unheard of.
Hey this is really sad...i wanted to visit venice since i was a child...this post was heart breakin for me...currently i am at <a href="http://www.newzealandholidays.org.uk/">New Zealand Beaches</a>
Hey this is really sad...i wanted to visit venice since i was a child...this post was heart breakin for me...currently i am at New Zealand Beaches
Angela, it's interesting to think about 'immersing yourself in Venetian life.' What exactly is it? Personally I'd say it's chilling out with an espresso or a beer and meeting the locals in some of the backstreet bars and restaurants. But I'd never have missed the Palace or Campanile view (one of the best in the world, in my limited opinion). What on Earth can the world do to stop 'Venetian life' becoming little more than satisfying the needs of wasteful tourists?
More importantly, perhaps, who's responsibility is it?
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