Following recent news that Venice is looking to reroute cruise ships weighing more than 1,000 tonnes away from its city centre, GlobalData associate tourism analyst Ralph Hollister said doing so will give local residents the impression that their complaints have been taken on board.
Ralph Hollister, Associate Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, offers his view on whether this measure will achieve the aim of protecting the city’s centuries-old buildings:
“Rerouting cruise ships away from Venice’s center will give local residents the impression that their complaints have been taken on board. However, it is probable that redirected tourists will commute to the central islands via large coaches and taxi services instead."
“This will spread the issue of overtourism to new areas outside of the center, creating traffic congestion that will pollute suburban areas."
“The combination of utilizing ports away from central Venice and a new measure requiring day-trippers to pay an entrance fee up to $11 from September are unlikely to effectively combat overtourism. Mass visitation remains important for the local government; tourism is worth 11.4% of Venetian GDP."
“The local government may continue to ride the tourism wave until the effects become irreversible to the city’s fragile structure.”
According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), some ships could be rerouted to the mainland Fusina or Lombardia terminals until the end of the year, but a decision is yet to be made.
The renewed focus in rerouting cruise ships away from Venice’s city centre follows public protests and a crash in June which left five people injured.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
