Venice invented urban tourism in the 15th century, when its military and commercial empire began to dismantle. Since then it has been an open-air museum, also attractive for its promise of hedonism and sensuality. You only have to look at paintings by Canaletto like the one held by the MNAC (Il Bucintoro), with the depths and the canals full of people, to highlight that tourist saturation comes from afar.
And in Venice it is easy to find havens of authenticity outside the infernal San Marco-Ferrovia axis. In neighborhoods such as Cannaregio, Castello, Giudecca or Dorsoduro it is possible to evoke Venetian nostalgia even in high season. Many tourists are terrified of leaving the main route, scared at the risk of getting lost in the alleys without any franchise of rubbery pizza or plastic masks on hand.
But it is evident that the concentration of visitors can become extraordinary (100,000 tourists per 40,000 residents some days), greatly disturbing the life of the city. This becomes evident when the vaporetti pass by the stops because they are crowded. The reaction of the locals, composed and without a boat, can be fearsome.
Pressured by this and by the threat of seeing his city included on UNESCO’s humiliating list of endangered heritage, the mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, has been forced to impose a toll of 5 euros on day visitors. Despite the criticism received for privatizing the city (see breakdown) or for not addressing the Venetian structural crisis, the measure seems to work, at least, as a collection instrument.
The Venice experiment is going to be the object of study in all cities with an overabundance of tourists. For example, in a Barcelona where containment policies are carefully followed
From the outset, the Venetian toll invites us to think about some type of measure that limits daytime cruise passengers, whose presence is noticeable and annoying not only for locals, but also for quality tourism. But, beyond this option, it is obvious that the initiative of the insular Venice must take other forms in cities where a toll is not possible.
In its own way, Barcelona has been preventing saturation for a long time. These days, the international press, when reporting on the Venetian toll, mentions the Catalan capital among the cities that have taken action on the matter with measures such as limiting hotels or the fight against illegal tourist apartments. The message, in some way, is sent.
It must be remembered that this April the last planned increase in the municipal tourist tax surcharge was applied. Visitors who spend the night already pay between 6.75 euros per person per day for luxury hotels and 4.25 for the cheapest establishments. It is a rate that can still increase, but perhaps the priority is to explain it better. To the neighbor, but also to the tourist.
They should be informed by means of a document delivered to the hotels themselves that their money will be used on measures that will prevent their presence in the city from being unwanted. For example, to increase the frequency of shared transportation between locals or visitors; to promote cultural tourism; to preserve historical heritage or to preserve charming commerce.
The City Council has allocated part of last year’s tax to the air conditioning of schools. It was a necessary and urgent measure, but perhaps the possibility that the visitor thinks that with his money he pays for structural problems of the city, as if it were a cooperation agency, should be avoided. Linking this expense to the coexistence of tourists and locals, highlighting common interests, is perhaps more educational.
In Venice it is explained that part of the money raised will be used to improve the underwater system against flooding. In the future, in a Barcelona located on the front line of the climate crisis, who knows if the pertinent thing will be to inform the visitor that his tax will be used to save beaches that belong to everyone.
