Cruise ships that are entering Venice and sitting around the picturesque St. Mark's Square are causing controversy amongst locals. The AFP reported that environmentalists are worried about the damage the cruise ships are ding to the environment, while supporters argue they bring in revenue for the city.
"It's impossible that there could be another Concordia in Venice," Massimo Bernardo, head of the Venice Cruise Committee, said AFP in an interview. The large Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster occurred about a year ago in Italy.
"An order from Venice coast guards states that two pilots and two tug boats have to be deployed during the manoeuvre as well as the captain. In order for there to be an accident, everyone would have to go mad all of a sudden!"
The cruise industry has brought in approximately 536 million euros to Venice last year, reported the Euroean Cruise Council. It has also employed more than 5,470 people.
The cruise ships come close to famous Venice monuments and often hangs out near St Mark's Basilica.
"They're a bit of a hassle," said Mattia Florian, a water taxi driver said to AFP."They really are too big to pass here but they bring a lot of tourists to Venice."
The ECC said that the cruise tourists also make up of 20 percent of tourist traffic in the city.
Some say that the ships make the city look ugly and cause damage to Venice. Cristiano Gasparetto, an architect and campaigner for conservation group, Italia Nostra said to the AFP "A ship of this size displaces a huge amount of water under the surface even when it is going slowly. That means that the quays along the lagoon constantly have to be renovated."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
