The Italian Council of Ministers passed a decree yesterday evening banning cruise ships from Venice. A terminal for large ships is to be built outside the lagoon, said Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini. „We have been waiting for this decision for years,“ said the minister. In this way, a historical and cultural heritage should be protected not only in Italy but in the whole world.
For years it has been argued whether the cruise ships are destroying the city’s environment and substance. The UNESCO World Heritage City has only around 50,000 inhabitants. On the other hand, tourism rose steadily until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year, millions of people came to the city on cruise ships, and around 13 million overnight stays were registered in 2019, according to the region.
