Positive impacts of tourism for Venice
- Increase the local economic benefit for Venice.
Economic growth has brought more employment opportunities to the local area, and more tourism enterprises have invested in Venice to drive economic growth. Increase Venice local tax revenue, improve the regional economic level, can further reduce regional differences
- It is conducive to the promotion of cultural integration and the protection of cultural relics.
Tourists are attracted by the local culture of Venice and bring different cultures so that a variety of cultures can blend and develop with each other. Venice’s local traditions and customs can be preserved, and tourists will like the performance of local traditional culture
- The new facilities for tourists also benefit the locals.
As the number of tourists increases, the government will improve the local infrastructure to enhance the tourist experience, for example, rebuilding the roads.
- Tourists’ money can be used to support the government to protect natural landscapes or cultural relics.
Tourists bring wealth to the local economy so that they can be used to protect the landscape and cultural relics. The maintenance costs of cultural relics can be recovered from them. Venice’s buildings and sculptures have an extremely important position and influence in the world. Therefore, it will cost money to maintain these buildings and sculptures. Tourists come because of these features. It is just the right way to maintain the characteristics with tourists’ money
- Tourism can improve local people’s awareness of environmental protection.
A good environment is an important condition for the development of tourism in Venice. Tourists will only be attracted by clean and environmentally friendly destinations. Therefore, when local residents realize this, they will improve their awareness of environmental protection, thus protecting the environment. The local government will also increase investment in environmental protection, which is not only conducive to attracting more tourists but also beneficial to local residents
Negative impacts of tourism for Venice
1. Pressure on the resources of the area
In the process of travel, tourists are bound to consume local resources, first of all, basic resources such as water and electricity, second, renewable resources such as groundwater, and finally, non-renewable land resources. Excessive tourism often consumes and destroys resources incalculably and irreversibly. The increase in the number of tourists to Venice will lead to an increase in local resource consumption. This will not only threaten the survival resources of local residents but also cause excessive consumption of a region’s resources, which will have a negative impact on both nature and human beings.
2. Increased prices on goods and services
We all know that tourist areas tend to be more expensive than in other places. While it’s good for the business owners, this can negatively affect the locals. The same must be true of Venice locals, who don’t know where to go when their home is packed with tourists during high season. During the high tourist season, the prices of essential goods rise, making them less affordable for the locals. For example, people have to pay more to enjoy a meal in their favorite restaurant. Just because it because too popular with tourists. Often small business owners have to shut their businesses because they simply can’t afford to pay an increased rent. While this has brought economic benefits to the local residents of Venice, it has also hurt them.
3. Destruction of historical monuments and natural landmarks
Sometimes tourists damage historical monuments or natural landmarks. Some of them do it by accident. But there’s also quite a big percentage of people who do such acts of vandalism on purpose. Leaving a signature on a stone or a statue is vandalism, as well as making graffiti in a national park. Sticking a chewing gum to the Stonehenge stones or climbing a statue to take a selfie can create irreparable damage. Unfortunately, a large number of landmarks have been already destroyed by negligent tourists.
4. Increased pollution
Venice wants to accommodate an increased number of tourists many more hotels and other facilities have to be built. More lights in the buildings, more lights and LED signs on the streets, create light pollution in the area. The same happens with sound pollution. With the grows and development comes the noise from the people, cars, bars, and nightclubs. Both light and sound pollution create an adverse environment for the animals that live in that area, pushing them away from their original habitat. We should not forget about sewage as well. Venice is a famous water town. We should pay more attention to water conservation. The cleaning systems have to process a much bigger amount of sewage water. An increasing number of people constantly adds pressure. And unfortunately, some places don’t have any cleaning systems in place, and the sewage waters go into the ocean untreated.
5. Natural destruction and habitat loss
The development of tourism is often accompanied by the sacrifice of nature. The negative aspect of the previous points is mainly the impact on human beings, but not all tourism development plans of Venice are accompanied by policies of sustainable development and environmental protection. The land provided for tourism facilities and hotels often destroys wildlife habitats. Waste disposal is an important factor in environmental degradation. If untreated sewage is discharged into the sea, it will have a negative impact on marine life. If the other type of waste is not handled properly (e.g., dumped in a forest or river), toxins can be released over time, damaging the area. The increase in the number of vehicles, the increase in noise, deforestation, and pollution have destroyed the ecological balance of the area.
References
BBC (2020) Positive and Negative Impacts of Tourism. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqk7hyc/revision/3
Aware Impact (2019) 10 Negative Effects of Tourism You Should Know About
Retrieved December 01, 2020, from
https://awareimpact.com/negative-effects-of-tourism/
Andereck, K.L., Valentine, K.M., Knopf, R.C. and Vogt, C.A. (2005), “Residents’ perceptions of community tourism impacts”, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 1056-76.
Ateljevic, I. (2000), “Circuits of tourism: stepping beyond the ‘production/consumption’ dichotomy”, Tourism Geographies, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 369-88.