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Introduction

            Tourism in Venice dates back to the 1600s when young scholars from neighboring nations visited the city for academic reasons due to the city’s cultural appeal (Davis & Marvin, 2004: p11-13). Later, religious tourists, merchants and foreign artists began arriving to see what this Italian regional capital had to offer. Today, Venice is one of the cities with the highest tourist population in the world (Kresl and Letri, 2010:p146). Therefore, this study analyzes the flow of tourists into Venice, the attractiveness of the city, issues facing the tourism sector, impact of the tourism, policies set and the implications of these policies.

Tourist Visitation

            According to Page (2011: p507), Venice received an estimated 14.12 million visitors in the year 2007. The author also notes that majority of these visitors were foreigners accounting for 8.72 million while the rest (5.4 million) were Italians. Although Page (2011) acknowledges that these are not the actual values of the flow of tourists during the period, he believes that the figures presented are close to the actual values and can therefore be used to represent the actual situation at that time. On the other hand, the Venice Report points out that the city received approximately 21 million visitors during the same year (2007). This represents 9-10 million tourists who stayed for more than a day and about 12.5 million who just came for a day. According to the COSES report (2008), these figures are a representation of the actual state.

            While travelling to the city, most tourists prefer travelling by air (Woodside and Martin, 2008). This is evident in the COSES report (2008) whereVenice and Treviso Airports received a total of 1,262,000 tourists in 2007, while another 509,000 came by train, 95,000 by cars, 131,000by tourist buses, 44,000 by scheduled buses and finally 239,000 by the infamous cruise ships. All air passengers are either served through the Marco Polo Airport or the Treviso Airport. Marco Polo is the third largest airport in terms of traffic volumes in Italy. However, both airports are managed by a company called SAVE group which by 2006 had 1474 employees in total.

Access to the city by car is a major challenge due to the limited parking space. Currently, there are only two available parking spaces outside the city. These are:Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto. These spaces can only accommodate 22,000 cars (assuming each car accommodates only two passengers). Railway transport is the second most preferred means that caters for 7,120,000 day-trippers per year(Hoffman, Fainstein & Judd, 2011). Most of these travellers use the St. Lucia Station. The tour buses bring a total of 2,334,000 day-trippers per year while scheduled buses are preferred by locals who use it on a daily basis accounting for 1.11 million passengers per year.Entry into the city by water is only allowed along the lagoon but prohibited along the connection that leads to the airport from the city. 

Destination Attractiveness

Venice city is an attractive place. To begin with, the city is a cultural center characterized by a number of literary performers, artists and musical events. According to Butler (2006), the beauty of the city can be witnessed either by walking round the city or by sitting and enjoying the view. Some of the noticeable features in Venice include: the Grand Canal whose path curves along the city making boat riding in the canal a relaxing and satisfying experience, next is the St. Marks Basilica which features a western and eastern design, next to it is the Doge’s Palace which gives a rich history of the existence of the city, another feature is the prestigious Opera House called Teatro Le Fenice that gives a strong historical background of the city since it was constructed in 1789, Rialto Bridge is famous for its design that features a line-up of shops for those who enjoy shopping, Ca Rezzonico museum combines historical paintings, creative sculptures and unique carvingsunder one roof and finally the Clock Tower which allows tourists to view its mechanism just by going up and round it (Hoffman et al., 2011). Health enthusiasts also take a tour to Venice since they get the opportunity to exercise by hiking. For scholars, visiting the city is a learning experience, and for artists and writers, it is an inspirational town (Butler, 2006). These are some of the reasons why the city is experiencing the current influx of tourists (The Venice Report).

Analysis of Issues

The first main problem facing the city is the overwhelming population of tourists. According to the Venice Report, the city had a population of 60,028 in 2007. This population is about three times less than it was six decades ago. In 2007, the city also received approximately 16.5million tourists. According to the BBC media story, the number of tourists visiting the area is still increasing despite the government’s efforts to control the growing population of tourists. Unfortunately, the local registered citizens in the city are the ones facing the economic challenges due to influx of tourists. Consequently, these citizens are relocating to the mainland to seek better economic opportunities. The worst affected region is the lagoon area which is currently the least populated area in terms of registered citizens (Maden, 2012).

Although Davis and Marvin (2004) believe that this challenge can be solved by having the tourists visit other neighboring towns and cities, it is unfortunate that these neighboring towns do not have attractive features comparable to Venice. For example, San Biagio Island mentioned in the BBC story is a quiet and dormant town that would not attract any tourist. The atmosphere in the area is also “smelly” and unwelcoming probably because it served as a dump site for the past 50 years and was left idle for another two decades. Nonetheless, plans by a developer like Alberto Zermpala to redesign the island into a cultural center will probably raise the status of the island. Subsequently, tourists will be able to access such facilities and ease the tourist population pressure exerted on the city of Venice.

Another concern is the rising property prices in the area. According to the Venice report, it is clear that local Venetians are unable to pay for housing. This is because the land and house rates are continuously increasing as the home owners try to maximize their profits from the influx of tourists. Consequently, the tenants who mainly consist of students and ordinary Venetians are forced to relocate to the mainland. This led to a period of “black economy” which forced the provincial administration to develop ways of restoring the economy. According to the COSES report (2008), one of the methods opted by the local government was to allow residential owners to host the tourists in their homes at a fee. However, this action also came with its set-backs as there were discrepancies in terms of the capital raised. Nonetheless, home owners who were able to restructure their homes made adequate profits which contributed to their economic stability as residents of the city.

Venetians are also concerned with the growing number of cruise ships being allowed into the city. Initially, such large vessels were not allowed into the city. However, the local government analyzed the benefits of these ships and realized that they helped to improve business in the area since they would carry many tourists at a given time. According to The Venice Report, these cruises carry 2000 to 3800 passengers. They were then allowed into the city as the Port of Venice was able to fit three big cruise ships. The main opposition raised against these ships is that they are big for the city with some going up to four times the size of most buildings in Venice. This would therefore obstruct the scenic view of the city. Additionally, the ships push the water waves towards the neighboring structures and this may weaken them. Finally, Dr. Jonathan Foyle in the BBC media story believes that the worst problem caused by the cruise ships id the disruption of the socio-economic livelihood of the Venetians. This is arguably true because the ships bring clients of different status and thus locals may be forced to change the standards of their facilities to meet the class differences.

The last issue raised in the media story is flooding which occurs especially during a high tide. It is evident from the story that high tides have devastating effects such as having water flow into buildings. This is a recurrent problem in the city and affects the economic stability of the region since tourists cannot live longer in the area on such occasions (Simonis, 2008). Ostensibly, boat riding, hiking and site seeing may all become impossible. On the other hand, physical structures may develop weaknesses due to the infiltration of water into the inner surface. Fortunately, the local government understands the impact of this flooding water and in this regard has embarked on a project that aims to construct raised barriers which would prevent flooding whenever the tides rise.

Impact of Tourism on Local Community

Tourism in Venice has both negative and positive impacts to the local community. This study begins by analyzing the negative impacts. The first negative impact of tourism to the local community is the increasing price of property. Majority of the residents in the city are no longer able to rent houses in the city since home owners have raised their charges in response to the growing need for houses. By allowing locals to house the tourists at a fee, most home owners enjoy the high returns and thereby set very high rents which discourage ordinary Venetians and students in the city.

Second, the city is increasingly becoming overcrowded. In this regard, locals find it difficult to co-exist with the tourists as they are available in every available space in the city. At the beginning of the BBC media story, the anchor acknowledges that “it can be difficult to acquire a quiet corner to yourself!” Anna Sommers Cocks is also featured in the BBC media story seconding this point and therefore encourages the Venetian authorities to come up with strict guidelines that will help to limit the number of tourist coming to the city in a given period of time.

 According to Weaver (2007), most tourists coming to Venice leave on the same day and this does not contribute to the economic progress of the locals since such tourists would not buy anything during their visit. Consequently, the locals face recession as the flow of tourists into the city increases. According to the Venice Report, this is one of the reasons why Venetians opt to leave for the mainland in search for better economic opportunities. Back in Venice, the citizens may begin to lose hope in their local government.

The day-sitters who come with buses also increase the rates of pollution in the city which will have a long-term negative effect on the local communities (Butler, 2006). Car users also pose the same risk to the locals since these exhaust gases form their cars fill the city’s atmosphere leading to long-term effects. Although the transport association is keenly monitoring such pollutions, more emphasis should be placed on the buses and cruise ships accessing the city (Weaver, 2007).

On the other hand, tourism in the city has helped to improve the livelihoods of the few locals who took advantage of the economic opportunities. The local government is the first beneficiary through the fees and taxes collected from the local business people. Another beneficiary of the tourist activities in the city are the structural owners. These are individuals who own or institutions which manage structures like boats, churches and museums. The last beneficiary is the home owner who is allowed to house tourists at a fee. All these beneficiaries share the benefits of tourist activities in the city.

The second benefit was the introduction of cruise ships. Although the locals feel that these vessels may affect their structures and limit the attractiveness of the city, they provide employment to the local Venetians and increase the number of high profile tourists in Venice. Nevertheless, the issues on pollution and impact on water waves raise by the local population should also be followed through to ensure the locals maintain their good health and opportunities from the tourism business.

Since the government of Venice has a number of projects aimed at sustaining the tourism activities, local communities will be able to benefit from the job opportunities that would arise. Some of the projects lined up by the Venetian government are: Establishment of barriers and the construction of a new canal to ensure that all cruise ships enter the city from the west to prevent any blockage. In this regard, Maden (2012) believes that the local communities will be able to earn and improve their lifestyles.

Finally, congestion in the city of Venice has caused the local government to increase its researches on what can be done to ease the high populations. The development of decongesting techniques like specifying the number of people allowed within a certain structure and the allowable period of stay helps to restore hope in the local communities (Davis and Marvin, 2004). Involving the locals in such decisions will also ensure that these citizens are guaranteed of their stay despite the evolving impacts of tourism in the region. The international community is also able to see the efforts made by the city to manage the challenges being faced in the country and this will restore the dignity of the city allowing it to qualify as a host of various international events. Such activities will help improve the livelihoods of the host communities since they will take part in the events through provision of labor or materials.

Policy Implications

Venice is guided by a number of policies which ensure that it keeps attracting more tourists. The first policy is called Venice Connected which requires all tourists to book for parking spaces, museums and buses in advance through an on-line system. This policy is aimed at reducing the congestion often witnessed in the city due to the random visitation of tourists. It also helps to reduce the time taken when seeking the specified services. Another important policy set by the local government recommends that only five specifically designed cruise ships will be allowed into the city. This will help create employment, boost economic status of the city but also reduce pollution caused by these ships.

Another important policy is the saturation point policy which states the number of people allowed within a specific area and the period of existence depending on the site. This policy helps to mitigate the risks posed due to overcrowding in an area. It also helps in developing the rates to be charged within a certain period while in the city. Finally, the housing policy allows the local residential owners to host the tourists at a fee. This policy has helped to reduce the accommodation needs of tourists, led to the increase in residential rates and caused the migration of residents to the mainland.

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