Venetians furious as tourists discover ‘secret' €2 gondola rides
Long queues have been forming at the four crossings on Venice's main waterway for ferries that allow residents to cross for 70 cents, while tourists pay €2. It is a huge saving on the €80 visitors to Venice usually pay for an official, 30-minute gondola ride along the canals.
Influencers have been increasingly recommending large gondolas called traghetti ('ferries') as a quick and cheap alternative for tourists who want a selfie on board.
'The ferries have become the latest trend for tourists who want to spend little and get in a gondola,' Andrea Morucchio, a local artist, said. 'Thanks to influencers and bloggers it has become one of the most popular things in Venice and as a result Venetians are suffering.'
As disgruntled locals, laden with shopping, get in line for the traghetti behind phone-touting tourists, they are discovering one more reason to move out and further whittle down the population of Venice's centro storico (or 'historic centre'), which is about 50,000.
Travel guides have long alerted readers to the traghetti: Lonely Planet calls them 'one of Venice's great transport secrets' and 'a staple of many Venetians' commutes'. But residents say the recent promotion of the travel hack by influencers has tipped the scales.
'With this gondola, for only €2, in four minutes you can cross the Grand Canal, just the time to take a photo to send to your friends,' said the YouTuber Giovanna Santoro. The Instagrammer 'Eat with Ange' said: 'It is a really quick ride, but it's great for solo travellers or anyone who doesn't want to pay €80-100 to experience a gondola ride.'
Traghetti have a different design to Venice's gondolas, which are steered by one gondolier rather than two, but that has done little to deter tourists.
Simone Venturini, Venice's councillor for tourism, told The Times the city was considering increasing the price for tourists above €2 and use the funds to open up to two new ferry crossings across the Grand Canal using the proceeds. 'An increase would be justified since tourists are using the service as a substitute gondola ride,' he said.
• 24 of the best things to do in Venice
Aldo Reato, a city councillor and former head of the association of gondoliers, admitted that with 30 million tourists visiting Venice each year, the lines at the ferry jetties were inevitable. That number may rise again as the Netflix series Emily in Paris plans to film in the city.
But Reato said the frequency of crossings was being increased on busy routes. 'We are on the side of Venetians,' he said.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Pandemic hangover and 'corporate greed' blamed for Vegas tourism collapse
A Sin City regular has blamed a pandemic hangover and 'corporate greed' for the tourism collapse in Las Vegas. It comes as figures from the city's convention and visitors bureau show tourism is down 11 per cent, while overall visits to the Nevada city are down six per cent this year. Meanwhile, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino - the oldest gaming hub in the city - has announced it is replacing human dealers with electronic games. The former Vegas regular took to Reddit explaining they believe the tourist boycott is down to two things - 'the pandemic' and 'corporate greed.' 'I booked a trip and was on the strip the day some of the casinos reopened (after the pandemic) and it was dead, of course, but it was on it's way back,' the user wrote. As companies attempted to claw their way back into the green following the Covid-19 shutdown, the user blamed the city's decline on corporations relying on 'the common man' to recoup their losses. After having been a 'Vegas regular for over 20 years', they saw how prices were soaring following the pandemic. 'Resort fees. They started implementing them and every year they go up,' the user wrote. 'Even if you are getting comped rooms, some of these places have nightly resort fees ranging from about 40-80 bucks. 'That gives you access to Wi-Fi and usually the spa. Both things that were previously free.' The user said that food prices also took a noticeable increase, where buffets used to be served at around $20 to $30. 'Now there are fewer buffets to be had and they are all around 50 and up,' they wrote, noting that 'most are brunch only so forget about a full dinner buffet.' The gambling tables also had increased minimum bets if you wanted to sit and play. 'Pre-pandemic you could walk into most strip casinos and find 5-10 dollar tables and most would be full day and night,' they wrote. 'Now you find a rare low minimum table anywhere on the strip and most have jumped to 25-50 minimum.' But the gambling tables came with another issue as staffing numbers were also reduced, according to the user. With fewer staff comes slower service, which they said is a 'huge problem' when gambling. 'Most gamblers like to take advantage of the free drinks, but if they have to wait 20 minutes or more for a waitress to even come by and notice them, then another 20 for her to make it back around, that's a problem,' they wrote. Yet, even if gambling is not your cup of tea, other forms of entertainment have also seen prices 'skyrocket.' 'Shows and events, prices have just skyrocketed for shows,' the user wrote. 'Prices everywhere have gone up but most people can't justify paying 2-300 a ticket for a show per ticket.' They also noted that parking fees can cost a driver around 30 to 50 dollars per day if they wanted to 'park at a hotel where they were actually staying.' After having spent the last 20 years going to Vegas 'four times a year like clockwork', the user has since cut their trips down to two and even considered skipping their second trip for this year. 'People need to just avoid Vegas until they realize they have to adjust prices that reflect what middle America are willing and able to pay,' they said. Another frequent visitor said they had been 'five times since 2012, always for business' but agreed that corporate greed was a major issue. 'The first time I came, I was pleasantly surprised that I could just wander from casino to casino, having a beer here and there and some nice food in between. 'Enjoy the spectacle, hang out with colleagues and watch the crazy people,' they wrote on the Reddit thread. 'And at the end, I wasn't completely broke, or maybe even won a couple $. Now, it seems like the only reason to go to a certain casino is if you have a hankering for a specific restaurant. 'Everything else is generified and looks the same. The prices for food are astronomical... the corps have realized that people will pay anything, because once they are on the Strip for an event, they have no other options.' Another user chimed in and agreed that corporate greed has been one of the biggest factors keeping Vegas from coming back to life. 'I live in Vegas... this is 100 per cent what I've heard the locals say is the problem too,' they said. '[Big companies] talk about how they're optimizing for the high rollers now but [there] just aren't that many. 'And as they lose money they continue to raise prices to make up the difference but that just locks out even more people.' Caesars Entertainment, which runs eight casino resorts and one non-gaming hotel on the Strip, reported a 3.7 per cent year-over-year decline in net revenue in the second quarter of 2025, according to SEC filings. From April to June, the company brought in $1.054 billion in Las Vegas, down from $1.095 billion in the same time period in 2024.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
The leafy UK village feeling the strain of asylum hotels as ‘forgotten' locals fear ‘we're being singled out'
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'We had a lovely hotel, the Allesley, where people would get married and go for special occasions but that has just gone. 'It was filled up with newly-arrived immigrants... and now it is just a burnt-out wreck of a place.' The now-derelict hotel, part of which dates back to the early 1800s, once proudly stood in the middle of the village before closing in 2022. However, two huge fires, believed to have been started deliberately, left the building 'beyond repair' and the site is now earmarked for development. 'I don't understand why Coventry has taken so many in - but I know that the hotel owners have done very nicely out of it,' Jane added. The pace of change in Coventry has been rapid, with a report this month revealing that more than one in 25 of the city's residents are immigrants who have arrived from abroad in the last year alone. Illegal migrant LIVE STREAMS step by step channel crossing & boasts 'my dream was to come here' from 4 star asylum hotel In Allesley, locals say their tolerance for different cultures has been used against them as their hotels are "singled out" to house asylum seekers. 'It has totally changed this village,' said IT specialist Dean O'Driscoll, 38. 'At certain points there have been up to 300 people walking down the road at a time from the Coventry Hill Hotel.' Located at the opposite end of the village, the hotel, run by the Britannia group, closed to paying guests in 2020 and from then on has only housed asylum seekers. Far-right protesters targeted it that same year, and in April 2025 the Home Office announced it intended to remove asylum seekers from the hotel. Crime fears Residents like Dean fear a drain on local resources has let crime go unchecked, with figures released by West Midlands Police last November showing a 44 per cent rise in recorded shoplifting and retail crime in Coventry year-on-year. Dean added: 'The local shop says there has been more theft and crime in the last couple of years than in the previous 20. 'I live on a farm, and have had groups of people coming down trying to steal the electric fence battery. 'In these hotels on the outskirts, it is mostly adult men. The old people are terrified, and people don't like parking their cars on the street. 15 15 'Clearly a lot of these people are desperate, but I don't understand why Coventry gets singled out. 'I just think we're forgotten, we don't have a voice - and we are tolerant people so they expect us to put up with it.' 'Taking liberties' Faith Mills, 64, who was born in South London, has lived in the city for nine years and is concerned that taxpayers are footing the bill for the asylum seekers being housed in local hotels. She said: 'It has changed this area. I don't like seeing them paying for things with special Home Office cards. 'I blame the politicians, and I blame the people who own the hotels. They want them here, and are making a lot of money out of every refugee." Venting her frustration, Faith added: 'We are paying money to France, who are not interested in helping - and why should they? 'All this money is spent by our government, but it's going to people who are taking liberties.' Another mother, 31, who asked not to be named, said: 'It's hard, because you can't help but worry about your children. 'You keep hearing things about the threat to women and children, so I worry about my own safety.' City under strain 15 15 15 Coventry City Council's letter last November came shortly after the Government reserved a hotel to use as short-term accommodation for asylum seekers with only 48 hours notice and no prior consultation. The letter, signed by the council's Labour leader George Duggins and Naeem Akhtar, the cabinet member for housing and communities, described the situation as 'completely unacceptable.' It also urged the Home Office to 'halt any further increases of such placements in Coventry'. Written evidence since submitted by the city council to Parliament has further laid bare the strain caused by the increase in asylum seekers staying in Coventry. The cost of housing has surged, with private rents increasing by 19.5 per cent between 2023 and 2024 - the second highest in England. Schools and healthcare services are said to be overstretched and struggling to deal with problems like language barriers, while it was also noted that the hotels had increased demand on policing. Many locals say they have been left dismayed at what seem to be the Government's priorities. Carol Williams 'If I was fleeing war then I would do whatever I could to help my family,' said 78-year-old Carol Williams. 'There is not enough kindness in the world and as long as they are contributing then there's no problem. But this country is in a mess. My daughter is in her 40s and she is in unstable privately rented accommodation. 'There is no chance of her getting on a council housing list and no chance of getting on the property ladder. 'So I do think we ought to be looking after our own and successive Governments have just let the situation get worse. Politicians shamed Air stewardess Anna Brown, 67, also feared that the country's resources were being stretched too far. She said: 'For months, I would see lots of African people walking through the village from the hotels. 15 'I never felt intimidated, they are just people who talk among themselves and a lot of them do shifts at the Amazon warehouse. 'I have no idea why Coventry takes so many, but the country is really struggling to cope. "I lost my brother recently, he had bi-polar, and the care he received did get worse. The sense is that our resources are being drained. I hear friends say they can't get a doctor's appointment. Like others, Anna has found herself giving up on politicians because of the situation. I am someone who has always voted Labour but not anymore, I don't bother to vote now Anna Brown She said: 'I think we are just too soft letting them in. I am someone who has always voted Labour but not anymore, I don't bother to vote now. 'They are giving us less and less, pushing the retirement age up and up and because they can't get a grip of this immigration it gets blamed on that and the country becomes more divided. It is just really sad.' Tensions flare These divisions came to a head this summer as anti-asylum protests swept through towns and cities across the country. One of the largest demonstrations happened in Nuneaton, only a ten minute drive outside of Coventry. Hundreds of people gathered outside the town hall last Saturday after two men, reportedly Afghan asylum seekers, were arrested and charged in relation to the rape of a 12-year-old girl. 15 15 Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged with rape, whilst Mohammad Kabir, 23, was charged with kidnap, strangulation, and aiding and abbetting rape of a girl under 13. Back in Coventry, locals expressed further concerns about what was happening to their area. ' What has happened to Coventry is not good at all. This went from being a nice area to a place where you see drug dealing,' said 21-year-old concrete pumper Jack Vaughan. 'It is worse for women. They are more on edge. People are getting way more wary and getting house alarms. 'This country is draining money rather than re-investing in communities. 'Just when we need it most, there is less money for police, less for youth services.' Patience tested Sue, 64, is a former city council worker living in the village and has found herself torn. 'I used to help run creches for children of recently arrived people - teaching them about British values and helping them to settle in. 'The people I worked with were always polite, and some of the stories I heard about - where they had come from and what they had been through - meant I really felt sympathy for them. 'It is not easy coming to a new country. None of us would choose it - but legal or illegal, this country has a lot of extra people coming in, and we are struggling with resources.' Retired lecturer Anthony Hoyle, 73, also found himself divided. He said: 'I am really in two minds about it. People deserve somewhere to live and most of those coming to Britain have some family over here. 15 'I am not hostile to them at all and I think housing people should be a priority, we don't want people on the street. 'I have no faith that this government will change anything. I am not impressed with politics. To me, they are all equally stupid.' Matthias, 55, a former mental health worker, feels it is time for the Government to come down harder on immigrants who break the law. They said: 'I think we should be following what Poland and Australia have done. They have zero tolerance for illegal immigrants. 'If people want to come through legal means, I have no problem with that but when they come with criminal intent it changes the atmosphere of the country and the status quo. 'This is not the world I was brought up in. We had immigration but the people worked hard and did not rely on anyone but themselves. That has changed and I don't trust any politician to do anything about it.' Now-retired car industry worker Steve, who lives in Allesley, was less gloomy about the effect asylum seekers had had on the village, though still lacked any confidence in the Government. He said: 'It doesn't bother me as long as they keep themselves to themselves and to be honest they seem harmless enough. 'I can't see any politicians making a difference. They are trying to send them back but they just need to stop them coming in the first place.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
$80 bill for six beers lays bare rip-off Vegas prices as Sin City battles to restore tanking tourism sector
A six-pack of beers for nearly $80 has shed a shameful light on the tanking tourism industry in Las Vegas. A horrified visitor posted the staggering $76.99 bill for a bucket of six Coors Light while partying at the Flamingo pool in the middle of the city's famed Strip For 24 cold ones the bill was an extortionate $290.00 - a markup of nearly 15 times its usual $20. 'I can't keep going here,' the partier who filmed his menu said as he listed off the pricey options. Cases of Topo Chico or Truly hard seltzers, which typically cost around $30 to $35, were also sold for almost $300. For drinkers who want a mixed cocktail, a large Bloody Mary would set them back $40 per drink. And six shots, a total of just nine fluid ounces, costs $99.99 in the party hub on the Vegas strip. Food options at the pool weren't any more reasonable, with a chicken tender platter or a cheeseburger slider plate running up to $89.99. 'Get ready to spend if you want to go to the Go Pool,' the shocked partier added. It comes after a new report to Las Vegas's Convention and Visitors Authority warned the number of airline passengers arriving at the city will continue to plummet in the coming months. The tourism body was told in the report by Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting that capacity rates at the gambling hotspot's Harry Reid International Airport are forecast to drop dramatically in the second half of 2025. They warned the number of inbound passengers will plunge to around 95,000 seats per day for the rest of the year - a worrying prediction that represents a 2.3 per cent fall from 2024 numbers. The decline is largely fueled by an 18.5 per cent drop in traffic from Canada, which typically provides the largest share of international visitors to the Nevada city, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. The loss of Canadian tourists has canceled out gains from other continents, including a 31.7 per cent increase in airline capacity from Asia and a 21.6 per cent increase jump from Europe excluding the United Kingdom. The report cemented a steep decline in tourism to Las Vegas, with previous statistics from April showing it was losing upwards of 300,000 visitors per month since the start of 2025. The number of Canadian passengers flying to Las Vegas fell to an average of 2,412 per day this year, according to the report. This has been blamed by some on the election in January of Donald Trump and his threats to make Canada the 51st state. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and chief executive Steve Hill told the Journal he was hearing from many angry Canadians about the president. 'There's an awful lot of the anecdotal conversation around Canadians being angry and upset about tariffs and talk around annexing the country,' he said. 'We've seen consumer confidence numbers drop pretty significantly over the past couple of months.' In May, the World Travel & Tourism Council reported that the U.S. was set to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the "closed" sign,' Julia Simpson, the council's president and chief executive, said in a news release at the time. Another reason for the recent drop in Las Vegas is due to a maintenance issue with Spirit Airlines, the second busiest carrier at Reid International Airport. The maintenance issues have grounded 50 planes in Spirit's fleet, which has significantly reduced its capacity, according to Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting senior director Joel Van Over. 'They have an issue with their (jet) engines,' Van Over said. 'They have to pull that engine off the plane, fix the cracks, put it back on the plane, and that whole process takes about 300 days. 'So obviously they can't just do a plane a year because it would take them 100 years to get that done.'
