The horrible flooding in Venice has put this UNESCO World Heritage Site on our radar recently. Luckily, it looks like the waters are receding, and things should return to normal there fairly quickly.
But what is “normal” for Venice?
In reality, the city has been sinking for centuries, and without significant investment and effort, the place would have been uninhabitable decades ago. They have begun to limit the number of cruise ships that visit Venice as a way to control the number of tourists. Venice in the summer months is a little bit like Disney World at spring break. The one big difference being that once Disney hits capacity, they can close the gates. This is what they are thinking about for Venice.
I absolutely believe that tourism is one way that we can develop a better understanding of each other in a world where such sentiments are increasingly not valued. In many cases tourism is an effective way to redistribute wealth from those in very fortunate countries (like ours) to those that are not as lucky as we are.
The other side of tourism is what we are seeing in Venice. Too many visitors have created a situation whereby the locals are looking to limit the crowds – even though all those visitors come with open wallets.
Added to this is the increasing affluence of China and India. Those two countries combined have about half the world’s population. China alone is 5 times larger than the United States, and every year the number of Chinese that have the economic means to travel increases.
I experienced this first hand last week when I was in Europe. Even though November is quietest month of the year in many parts of Europe, it was still busy. I also saw multiple tour groups from China – something that had been a rarity before now.
So what does all this mean?
For me, it underscores the necessity of travelling now. Besides all the regular hazards that may impact one’s ability to travel: health, aging parents, political uncertainty, economic questions; there is now another hazard: Competition from other tourists.
Travel now, while you still can.
You just never know when that destination on your bucket-list will become unavailable.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
