Dear Venice: It just keeps getting worse

Any major city or city district has ambitions to attract tourists. When it works well everyone prospers and the locals can be happy. Tourists arrive and spend money.

But overdo it and then the tourists can outnumber the locals and the locals either move out or grin and bear it. Either way the city is no longer a city where people live but rather becomes just a theme park pretending to be a city. The tourists are no longer visiting a real city.

Venice is an infamous example of how it can all go wrong. Tourists and pigeons outnumber everyone else. And then there is that sinking feeling as the city slowly descends.

But now it is getting worse – and you have to ask is that possible.

The article linked below is from The Art Newspaper and will let you in on the sad story so far of how this city has not yet resolved its latest problem.

Click here – and weep!

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Paul Costigan, 19 April 2014