OT: An Italy just for Italians?

[XXtwindad]

I read an interesting article in the NYT today. In the wake of the Pandemic, Venetians are attempting to reclaim their city: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nyt...rists.amp.html

“The coronavirus has laid bare the underlying weaknesses of the societies it has ravaged, whether economic or racial inequality, an overdependence on global production chains, or rickety health care systems. In Italy, all those problems have emerged, but the virus has also revealed that a country blessed with a stunning artistic patrimony has developed an addiction to tourism that has priced many residents out of historic centers and crowded out creativity, entrepreneurialism and authentic Italian life.”

I understand the desire to recalibrate toward a more “local centric” way of life. I also understand that short-term rentals can have a detrimental effect on long-term residents. But I think clamping down on tourism is a bit too utopian, especially for a hub like Venice. Then again, Italy will always be my favorite country to visit, so I’m not entirely objective.

[Ozz]

Ugh.....pulled the plug on a family trip to Italy about a month ago...we were supposed to be leaving in about 10 days.....sigh.

[Tickdoc]

Is their economy not tied too close to tourism to pull this feat off?

My guess is they will not be able to centralize their tourism. Makes me want to pursue an Italian Passport.

[colker]

Venetia was never a closed to foreigners nation like Japan. It has traditions of commerce. Any isolationism claims go against it´s nature. Having said that, tourism can be exhasperating and all societies could rethink their dependences after corona.

[colker]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

Makes me want to pursue an Italian Passport.

Really? You could find 100 italians trading theirs for an US passport; now.

[Velocipede]

Italy's population is 61 million. They get 60 million tourists yearly. How could they possibly pull back that much? I get the idea and everything but how?

[Gsinill]

Originally Posted by colker

Really? You could find 100 italians trading theirs for an US passport; now.

100 out of 60,000,000? Sounds about right

[mtechnica]

That’s funny if they think tourism is why people are priced out of living in Venice. It’s expensive to live in literally every major/popular city in the Western world and hamstringing the economy probably isn’t the best way to fix it. Just IMO

[bicycletricycle]

I think that we have been in denial about the down side of "globalism". Not sure if it is possible to turn back, or if that is even a good idea. Italy should be for Italians, what that means as policy is obviously very contentious.

[bigbill]

I spent most of 2007 living in Sardinia and working with the Italian government on a daily basis. The regions of Italy are very independent and suspicious of the central government. The central government is often at odds with the regions, dictating policy that goes against the wishes of the citizens. Italy has a strong industrial base, we get most of our cabinet finishing equipment from Italy and we make 4400 cabinets a day. The technology is good, the applications are a little wonky at times but we figure them out. But the nation is in no way able to limit tourism and stay afloat financially.

My project in 2007 was to close the NATO base on Santo Stefano near LaMaddelena. The Sardi didn't want the base closed because of the year-round economy it provided in an otherwise summer tourism dependent region. The Italian central government wanted it closed because a base in the middle of the Garibaldi National Park was an issue. The "base" was a single pier with a repair ship. The Garibaldi Park could be compared to Mt Vernon in the US. We did all our due diligence and had two weeks of meetings with the various EPA-like agencies before we signed it over. The locals were protesting the closing, it was very surreal.

[Clean39T]

...

[johnmdesigner]

Well, ban Airbnb in the old city and restrict the number of tourists allowed on a daily basis.
Of course, getting everyone to agree to that in a country like Italy will be a challenge.

[fijichf]

I’ve only visited Venice once and I can't see how it could be anything but a tourist destination at this point in history. If there is going to be a radical change to Venice’s tourist economy though, the change agents will need to enlist the services of the Mafiosa in order to get anything done.

[flying]

I have heard the same about Girona

I think that much of the complaints come from younger/working population
that need to find rental property to live in.

[martl]

Italy is very dependent on tourism (~13% of the GDP I heard), but what was going on in Venice the last couple of years was downright ridiculous. Huge cruise ships in the lido etc... Dumping prices for inner-european flights and all-inclusive cruises had their part in it, I suppose. When the average lower-middle class could afford 1 holiday per year 20 years ago, now it's more like 3-4 of them and a weekend flight to some nice location is cheaper than taking your family to the local amusement park. Wealthy foreigners renting nice flats in desirable cities for a few weeks stays driving rents up...
I can understand when the locals say this needs to be regulated. Will be interesting to see how that complies with EU laws etc...