As global tourism continues to overwhelm the old city of Venice, there is a real possibility that the city may be added to the endangered list maintained by UNESCO.
"We are trying to avoid this,'' Michele Zuin, Venice's top budget official, told The Associated Press. "But it is not as if we are slaves of UNESCO," as per to Fox News
Venice Grapples with Tourism Pressure Amid UNESCO Endangered List Concerns
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued a warning over the summer that Venice had not done enough to protect the cultural monuments as tourists following the closure surges across Europe.
The behavior has been dubbed revenge travel by social media, and it refers to people trying to make up for the lack of freedom they experienced during the height of the pandemic when both local and national restrictions were in place.
As a result, tourism has significantly increased, reaching and sometimes surpassing levels seen before the pandemic.
According to Euronews's findings, the number of passengers traveling in the first half of 2022 increased by approximately 250% compared to the same period in 2021, when travel restrictions were relaxed for the first time.
Before the post-lockdown boom, Venice already labored under the burden of its substantial tourist population.
There are approximately 50,000 individuals that make their home in the old district of the city, which draws in millions of visitors each year, particularly during February when the Carnival is held.
The city was added to the list of World Heritage sites in 1987; however, if the quality of the historical sites is not maintained, the city may be moved to the endangered list and ultimately lose its status as a World Heritage Site.
According to AFAR's reporting, UNESCO had previously threatened to demote Venice in 2021. Still, the city responded by prohibiting cruise ships from passing through its canals, which appeared to satisfy the World Heritage Committee.
Officials from UNESCO have highlighted that a downgrade is not intended as a form of punishment but rather as a notice to the global community that additional steps are required to solve issues afflicting a World Heritage site.
According to the city's most recent data, the number of beds available to tourists in the town is now greater than the number of permanent residents, according to ABC News.
Venice to Introduce Day-Tripper Entrance Fee to Manage Tourism Surge
The city plans to begin charging a five euro ($5.40) entrance fee for all day-trippers on thirty high-traffic days in spring 2024 in an effort to combat the spike in visitor numbers. The dates for these high-traffic days have yet to be chosen.
Because the cost is low enough to discourage most visitors from entering, those who fail to produce evidence of entrance when they are questioned may be subject to more severe penalties.
These critics are concerned that the city will become Disneyland, or transformed into a cultural theme park, as a result of the move.
The management of mass tourism and the effects of climate change are cited as justifications for the recommendation to reduce Venice's status.
It mentions, for instance, that the underwater barriers that are supposed to safeguard Venice are not yet functioning to their full capacity.
The Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine; the historic center of Lviv, in western Ukraine; the ancient city of Nessebar in Bulgaria; the Diyarbakir Fortress in Turkey; and the Kamchatka Volcanoes in Russia's Far East will all be on the list of five additional sites that UNESCO will consider placing on the endangered list, NDTV reported.
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