For years, the residents of Venice have suffered from the huge cruise ships in the port. In the future, these will no longer be allowed to anchor in the center of the city. This is what the Ministry of Infrastructure and Tourism said in order to protect the historical and cultural heritage.
Venice no longer wants cruise ships to anchor as close to its historical sites as St. Mark’s Square. Instead, the large ships will temporarily dock in an industrial port in the northern Italian lagoon city. This was announced by four ministries, including those for infrastructure and tourism, on Thursday evening. In this way, a historical and cultural heritage should be protected not only in Italy but in the whole world.
Venice on the lookout for ideas: how can the cruise problem be solved?
The ministers also decided to start an ideas competition. A structural and final solution to the problem of the passage of large ships in Venice should be found. According to the Ansa news agency, a new cruise terminal is also to be built.
For years it has been argued that the cruise ships are destroying the environment and the substance of the Unesco World Heritage city. The waves caused by the ships endanger the structures. Now only about 50,000 people live in Venice. On the other hand, tourism rose continuously until the outbreak of the corona pandemic last year, millions of people came to the city on cruise ships, and according to the region, around 13 million overnight stays were registered in 2019. For years the city has been trying to get the emerging cruise tourism under control.