Venice reinventing itself as sustainable tourism capital<br /><br />It may be now or never for Venice, whose fragile city and lagoon environment alike are protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. Citing overtourism, UNESCO took the rare step this week of recommending Venice be placed on its list of World Heritage in Danger sites. A decision is expected next month.<br /><br />After a 15-month pause in mass international travel, Venetians are contemplating how to welcome visitors back to its picture-postcard canals and Byzantine backdrops without suffering the past indignities of crowds clogging narrow alleyways, day-trippers picnicking on stoops and selfie-takers crowding the Rialto Bridge.<br /><br />Along with lost tourist revenue, Venetians suffered a drastic reduction in public transport, heavily subsidized by tourist traffic. Even city museums could not afford to reopen to residents when lockdowns eased.<br /><br />“Venice without tourists became a city that could not serve its own citizens,” said Anna Moretti, an expert in destination management at Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University.<br /><br />The pandemic paused the city’s plans to introduce a day-tripper tax last year on visitors who sleep elsewhere — 80% of the total tourist footfall.<br /><br />Photos by:AP<br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe <br /><br />Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net <br /><br />Follow us: <br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook <br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram <br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter <br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion <br /><br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital <br /><br />Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify <br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts <br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic <br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer <br />Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher<br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein<br />Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud <br /><br />#TheManilaTimes<br />
