The Moral Dilemmas of Overtourism
This morning it emerged that a pair of tourist were fined in Venice for making coffee near the base of the Rialto Bridge. In brewing their coffee the tourists had contravened some obscure rule the city put in place to manage the influx of tourists it receives every year.
Venice is a unique case. There are around only 270,000 permanent residents in a city that receives more than 20 million visitors a year.
Almost everyone who has visited has a story about overcrowding in its alleyways, piazzas and waterways — of being unable to get into St Mark’s Square or over one of its bridges.
I have visited Venice twice over the past few year for the art Bienniale. I love it, but equally despair the number of people, and the totally un-Italian prices for food and drink. It feels like the only city in Italy where it is difficult to find quality and “local” food.
Despite this, quite obviously, it remains a popular place to visit.
