While Mayor Massimo Cacciari is very concerned about this “exodus,” he points out that this is not an issue specific only to Venice; locals are fleeing numerous European city-centers while tourists continue to flow in. Mara Rumiz, the Head of Housing for the Venice Council, says the city is on track to be completely void of locals by the year 2050 if we fail to take proper measurements. Additionally, many schools and other community-based institutions are being shut down and re-opened as hotels because they lack the demand (and funding) to remain open. This is a grim indication where Venice may be headed if priority is given to tourists (who bring in most of their revenue) and not to the local citizens who are the true life of the city.
For more on this important debate, see the Benetton blog. For more on Venice, see Dream of Italy’s Special Report: Venice or the dozens of articles on Venice available through a subscription to Dream of Italy. — Laura Cimperman