Venice's anti-tourism protesters should stop whining

Telegraph

9 hours ago

If there was an annual award for anti-tourism then surely this year's prize would have to go to Venice. Yes, the usual suspects in Barcelona and the Canary Islands may have been busy with their water pistols again but it's their counterparts in the Floating City who have truly upstaged them this time around.
Maybe organising a weekend of street protests against Jeff Bezos's wedding was always going to seize the news agenda, given the hordes of reporters already heading to Venice to cover it. But the protests also deserve some credit for just how effectively they revealed the true face of anti-tourism protests as another iteration of the same old politics of envy.
Venice as a billionaire's playground for the weekend? What on earth would the great old Doge have made of it all? While the ancient Venetian rulers might have other concerns (like why their name has been pinched by a US government department), does anyone believe they wouldn't be delighted to see that the city they built is still able to court the ultra-wealthy?
In truth, the Venice naysayers show the hypocrisy of the anti-tourism movement. In Barcelona, protesters point to the deluge of Airbnbs across the city contributing to the housing affordability crisis as well as dumping drunken party-goers into residential neighbourhoods. But the idea that this applies to the ultra-rich who visit Venice is frankly ludicrous.
Everyone knows the super rich love Venice, which is exactly why so many of them flock there every year for the Venice Film Festival or the Biennale. And when they get there they stay in dreamy hotels that were built for their custom – quite literally in some cases. Did you know the Four Seasons spent more than $30 million to restore the glorious Hotel Danieli as a five-star hotel. What would have happened to that building if it weren't for the roaring demand from high-net-worth travellers?
In some ways, it's a tale as old as Venice itself. Like its modern-day equivalent in Dubai, much of the city was built to cater to the super rich of the 13th and 14th centuries. And you can bet those glorious palazzos were pretty controversial in their heyday too. Just look at the famous Ca' d'Oro (House of Gold). Built by one of Venice's founding families, the Contarini, it was practically the antidote to old-fashioned Christian modesty.
Still, that's what Venice does: it attracts the rich and famous, and those who want to walk in their footsteps. Remember the iconic images of Princess Diana in her gondola? How many trips to Venice do you think they inspired in the decade that followed? Within a year, she'd probably put most of those gondoliers' future children through university with the extra business.
And don't listen to anyone tell you that 'overtourism' is ruining Venice either. In fact, the truth remains that the city is actually much less crowded than it was 500 years ago – even when you factor in those cruise ships. These days, the city has just 20,000 residents, and attracts around 15,000 tourist per day, on average. But this compares to 180,000 residents back in the Renaissance days. That means it isn't difficult to find a quiet bistro or bar, provided you're happy to wander ten minutes away from St Mark's Square.
Even the most visited parts of Venice still have a seductive charm. Perhaps it's the constraints that come with being a canal city, but I'm always struck by how well modern Venice seems to have managed to maintain not just its character, but also the kind of characters who frequent it – particularly after the sun goes down and the cruise ship day-trippers disappear.
Last time I was there, I dined at the Club del Doge in the famous Gritti Palace. As I was perusing the menu, a hushed silence fell over the room. When I looked up, I saw a rather famous designer followed by what appeared to be their two romantic partners (an arrangement that the TikTok generation calls a 'polycule') in tow.
Witnessing the rich and famous with their guard down is always interesting. But in Venice it is something else entirely. In those scandalous seconds, I felt the same thrill that well-heeled Venetian traders must have experienced when catching a glimpse of the most powerful nobles peeking from behind their carnival masks.
It's that sort of magic that makes Venice such an intoxicating place. And while certain locals might pull their hair about the city's all-year-round popularity, the truth is that none of the kind of gimmicks we've seen in recent years – like the tourism tax on day-trippers or the ban on groups of over 25 people – will put a dent in its appeal to the rest of us, and certainly not to the super rich.
Still, at least Venice makes for a stunning backdrop for those who do still want to protest. Let's just hope they leave the water pistols behind for now.