A local Venetian named Claudio, who declined to give his last name, said, "They come to Venice because it's famous. That's all; they know nothing about Venice."
Claudio stated that the days when educated tourists visited the city's numerous churches and museums to appreciate its culture are long gone. He said, "Nowadays, visitors don't even know what a museum is. This is not cultural tourism. They should go to the beach or the mountains, not here. Please, don't come anymore!" expressing his discontent with tourists.
On the other hand, two years ago, Venice narrowly avoided being placed on UNESCO's list aimed at mobilizing governments to protect places of "universal value for humanity," by banning large cruise ships from passing through the city center.
According to official data, last year, approximately 3.2 million tourists stayed in Venice's historic center, excluding the thousands of day-trippers who did not spend the night there.
UNESCO, the cultural arm of the UN, included Venice on the cultural heritage list in 1987 as an "extraordinary architectural masterpiece," but also issued a warning about the need for "more sustainable tourism management."
The organization recently stated that progress in Venice was insufficient, referring to a "lack of a general shared strategic vision." Critics reported that measures to control tourism were ineffective and were implemented too late.
