Venice faces overcrowding amidst UNESCO's warning

After the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended including the city of Venice, Italy, in the 'list of endangered cities' due to over-tourism and global warming, the famous Rialto Bridge in Venice became overcrowded with tourists. According to AFP, tourists continued to roam around Venice, taking selfies, eating ice cream, and carrying their luggage, seemingly unconcerned about UNESCO's warning of 'irreversible' damage risk. A 28-year-old American tourist, Ashley Park, said she was aware that Venice would be crowded but it did not ruin her vacation. Amidst the crowd on the historic bridge, 23-year-old municipal worker Diego Nechifrovo wore a T-shirt with the message '#RespectVenezia' (Respect Venice) and was busy keeping an eye on tourists engaging in inappropriate behavior. Nechifrovo said, 'Sometimes I see someone throwing their cigarette butt on the ground or wandering around without a shirt. The worst was when a family sat right in front of Doge's Palace and started having a picnic. A few weeks ago, a distracted tourist fell into the water while taking a selfie.' 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.