Photo taken on November 17 in Venice
The great danger is in thinking that Venice is sinking, yes. But not only because of the rising water level. It is a possibility that Venice disappear because of the **empty mass tourism**. The same tourism that would fill the networks of #PrayForVenice if something terrible happened.
"Ironically, the room was flooded two minutes after most parties rejected our amendments to fight climate change . There is no image more significant than the water flooding the council room to illustrate all the inconsistency and miserable administrative action of this government". These are words of andrea zanoni , regional deputy of the Democratic Party, on his Facebook page. Politicians denying climate change with liters of water soaking their expensive Italian shoes.
Photo taken on November 15, 2019 in piazza San Marco
A tragicomic picture should send chills down the spine of the international community . The truth is that the increasingly common phenomenon of “ high water ” has served to uncover that something is being done frankly wrong in the Veneto city.
And it is that while one of the most important world heritage sites of our time runs the risk of succumbing to the thrust of the Adriatic Sea, the authorities incomprehensibly look the other way applauding the arrival of cruise ships to the heart of the city.
“The curious thing is that the Veneto policy has turned its back on climate change and its consequences. They have assimilated that these things happen in Venice and that's it . Of course, I doubt that many politicians live in the city of Venice, which is becoming a very old city, because the young population runs away as soon as they can . I fear that only a more shocking disaster (such as the fall of a building) can make the gravity of the situation assimilate globally”.
are words of Miguel Angel Cajigal , better known on Twitter under the alias of **El Barroquista** and member of ICOMOS , an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of the world's monuments, which has taken advantage of one of the worst floods that has affected 80% of the city to disembowel the myth of the arbitrariness of the tides, turn on the alarm signals against the passage of large cruise ships and cry out to heaven against the phenomenon of empty mass tourism.
In a nutshell, he demonstrates with concrete figures , rigorous information and real images that Venice is built on millions of wooden piles sunk into the mud that could fail if the passage of cruise ships continue to alter the seabed.
Something that would cause a real tragedy that it would make the authorities react late and badly.
The only positive reading of all this is that it has served for many to discover the existence of a new concept around the mass tourism.
“The floods in Venice are already part of the mass tourism folklore . The " high water " has practically become another tourist attraction. Venice is surely the city most affected by the empty mass tourism . It is becoming more and more obvious that many people visit places of great value without knowing that value at all. Promote this model of tourism , which is something that is done indiscriminately, only leads to all kinds of problems, because if the traveler does not know the value of the place he visits, it is more likely that he will not respect it ”, He comments to Traveler.es.
Forgive them, because they don't know what they do
To prove it, he has conducted a survey among thousands of his followers. A survey that would be more terrifying if it were done with people not interested in art :
“The majority format of travel to Venice is very short stay and with few or no visits beyond San Marcos . Almost 40% of people did not enter any museum or exhibition, 86% did not attend any type of show and almost 35% did not consider it necessary to enter any paid cultural space . Bearing in mind that we are talking about one of the most important cities in the world at a cultural level, I think these are very eloquent figures. As if someone told us that he went to Punta Cana but did not set foot on the beach.”
Significant data that suggest that there is a type of tourism impossible to raise awareness even if the tragedy is close . The idea of " i was there that day "It's too powerful for some.
Moreover, if the tragedy happened, it would be the ideal excuse to fill social networks with #PrayForVenice and gain a handful of extra likes. But, how can the tourist who travels on a cruise ship be made to understand that his assault on the old part of the city equal to or worse than the impact of climate change?
“There is a part of that market that is impossible to raise awareness, because we are talking about travelers from other continents , who have a different conception of cultural heritage, more lax and much less restrictive”, assures El Barroquista.
"So I'm afraid the only solution is make it understood to the companies that transport them . At this point I think that the impact of cruise tourism in many cities is perceived as negative only by its inhabitants (and not even by all). If you visit a fragile space, be it a national park or a millenary old town, there are some rules to follow, whether you like it or not. If you act like a vandal while being a spectator in a sports venue, they penalize you, but if you do it in a valuable monument or a historical environment, it is likely that they will not even identify you ”.
Another very different thing is that the solution goes through shield the entry of tourists of any kind . "I believe that the solution lies in shielding its sustainability d. It is not about banning tourism, because it makes no sense. It's not tourism's fault but of tourism without control or management of flows ”.
Photograph of the day November 17, 2019 in Venice
And he points to those who should bear the blame or the weight of responsibility on their backs: “Let us not forget that if people travel to destinations it is because the destination promotes it, especially with the big tour package companies ”.
For this reason it looks more realistic tackle the problem by focusing on different levels : “The solution is multiple: veto cruise ships throughout the Laguna ; strict limitation of circulation for motor vehicles to residents and delivery only; promotion of public transport (which in Venice is the best way to get there and move around) ; and, in specific and extreme cases, establishment of daily visit quotas with prior reservation . It is easier to control the flow in Venice than in any other city, because the arrival points are very specific. The other way is an adequate heritage education , but I am afraid that in today's tourist machinery it is very difficult for a tourist to be sanctioned or fined. It seems that when we are doing tourism we are exempt from paying for our faults”.