20 Feb. 2020
In recent years the exponential growth of mass tourism in Venice, a city of limited dimensions and small scale streets, has brought about a series of negative “collateral effects”, compromising the livability of the city and leaving residents impatient with a situation that is decidedly antithetical to the concept of sustainable tourism.
Venice is one of the most important cities of art in the world. However, the majority of tourists who come are attracted only by the peculiarity of the place. Only a fraction of those who visit the city consider its vast artistic and cultural offering, among which are numerous museums, a hundred historic churches and many other sites of great interest. Venice is considered essentially a “city-postcard”.
The authorized tourist guide of Venice, with their certified understanding of the city and a deep love for the same, play the role of cultural mediators even beyond the historic-artistic realm. Taking inspiration from UNESCO’s indications for encouraging the sustainability of tourism, they have launched a project called Venice Guides for Sustainable Tourism (GVTS -Guide di Venezia per un Turismo Sostenibile).
The project is based on three lines of development dedicated to sustainable tourism, cultural tourism and the safeguarding of Venice.
A multilingual video has been produced to orient visitor to the specificity of Venice and its logistical problems, showing on one hand the problems of exclusively foot traffic and on the other the great body of the city’s artistic heritage.
The video, produced by Michele Parisi, can be seen on the website for Venice Sustainable Tourism (venicesustainabletourism.com) and will be promoted through a social media campaign.
The Venice Guides for Sustainable Tourism are also organizing a calendar of cultural events and guided tours, which will be available shortly, to attract a greater number of tourists to the city’s museums.
The purpose of the tours, in addition to illustrating the beauty of Venetian art, will be to collect contributions from visitors to be devoted to the restoration of works of art and the safeguarding of Venetian heritage.
Source: La Voce di Venezia
Campaign For A Living Venice 