Venice has grown to become one of the most important urban destinations in Italy as well as the global tourism market. It attracts an estimated 25 million tourists yearly, given its unique natural and cultural characteristics. Although tourism is one of the major industries in the city that has become a key contributor to its economic boom, there has also been an emergence of negative impacts that arise from tourism. With reference to the documentary “Is tourism harming Venice?” from DW Documentary, this essay shall critically discuss and explore the connections between tourism-related issues as well as the demonstrations and social movements from the local residents of Venice.
Towards the end of the film, it featured how the local residents expressed their concerns over the impacts of tourism. One salient example would be the protests against the crowding out of residence and the gigantic cruise liners that enter the waterways of the city. Firstly, in the film, it was highlighted that renting out apartments for tourists for short stays have caused problems for the locals. The Airbnb model, albeit economically successful, placed added pressure on the locals because many of the available housings have been purchased by the ‘wealthier’ people and businessmen who exploited the legal loophole to buy properties for touristic intentions. On the other hand, for those who lack the financial resources to secure properties find themselves struggle to afford apartments because of its skyrocketed rental. At the heart of this is the issue of unequal power relations and I would like to draw more from a Marxist’s standpoint.
For Venice, power often lies in the hands of the wealthier individuals who have access to property ownership as well as tourists simply because they are the drivers of the city’s economy. The housing market is no longer in favor of the residents but tourists from across the world for short stays and investors who h...