19 September 2019
Looking for a home to rent in Venice is becoming an almost impossible undertaking. Two new Regional laws are entering the context of this critical problem, recognized by everyone. The laws which are coming into effect are: No. 23 of 19 June 2019, which spells out “Rules regarding tourist lodgings”, and whose impact could mitigate that of the (devastating) preceding regional Law of 2013, and No. 39 of 3 November 2017 concerning public housing, with the following regulation No. 4 of 10 August 2018, about which a technical group is currently open to avoid mass evictions.
The growth in the number of beds for tourist use (in and out of hotels) in the past 10 months is equivalent to 2,366, with the biggest growth in San Marco, San Polo and Dorsoduro, and a surprising (while isolated) decline in Castello. In terms of percentages, the most significant growth was in the sestiere of San Polo (+ 15.83%), followed by Giudecca (+13.14%).
The average growth in tourist beds is therefore equal to 7.73 units per day (!!!). In the sestiere of San Marco there are now 2.5 tourist beds for each resident, while at the current rate, in San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro the ratio will be 1/1. Cannaregio and Castello are resisting, with a ratio of 1.5 residents for every overnight tourist.
Excluded from this count are tourists staying overnight in Mestre and those lodged on cruise ships, both of whom still add to the tourist pressure on the sestieri, with seasonal peaks that are now unsustainable. These are in addition to the other excursionists who arrive by every means (trains and gran turismo ferries in particular) – nobody knows their exact numbers, notwithstanding the repeated promises for a “tourist counter”, and the money set aside by the government for counting them (“Pact for Venice”, 10 million Euro).
Gruppo 25 Aprile
(Sources of data cited: Analysis by Gruppo25aprile based on municipal registry office and the municipal geoportal of tourist locations: http://geoportale.comune.venezia.it/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=IDS.IDS&LOCALE=IT-it)
Source: La Voce di Venezia
Campaign For A Living Venice 