Venice want to close for tourist ships
In Venice the results of the plebiscite regarding the port city the major cruise liners. 99% of those who took part in the voting residents supported the ban stay large tourist ships. The results of a plebiscite are not binding. However, the city and regional authorities can not ignore such a massive expression of dissatisfaction with the current state of Affairs.
In 2016, the income from tourism brought the budget Venice €5.6 billion. However, according to the results held in the city’s plebiscite on the closing of the city for large cruise ships, Venetians are willing to sacrifice part of the revenue to take a break from tourists.
Usually cruise ships stop in the port across the lagoon, covering the city from the Adriatic sea, pass by St. Mark and pass through the Giudecca canal before dropping anchor in the port. According to a significant number of citizens, it destroys the city, and tens of thousands of tourists that go with those vessels on the shore, make life unbearable in Venice.
In the voting organized by a group of citizens opposed what they call uncontrolled tourism, was attended by about 18 thousand people from 55-thousand population of the city. Part to the voting booths, put directly on the shore of the lagoon, but most were located on the mainland part of the city.
To the question: “do you Want large cruise ships stayed away from the Lagoon and was discontinued on the construction of new navigation channels” responded positively 17 874 participants.
“What we have managed to gather so many people, suggests that most of Venice opposed to larger vessels in the center of the city”, — quotes the London newspaper The Times, one of the organizers of the plebiscite Luciano Marcolino. According to the organizers, quite a large turnout and victory for the opponents of cruise ships cannot be altogether ignored by the authorities of the city and the country.
In 2012, after the disaster with the Costa Concordia, the Republic’s authorities imposed a ban on the emergence of large vessels in the centre of Venice. However, the ban will come into force only after will construct a new bypass channel for such vessels.
According to the authorities of the city, annually, by St. Brand is more than 600 cruise ships with more than 1.6 million passengers on Board. Just visit Venice every year 24 million tourists.
Philip Overnight