http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ise-ships.html

I assume there is another point of view in the city but it obviously isn't getting much press.

What struck me was the fact that twelve - 12! - ships were all leaving at the same time, rather than the usual one or two or three.

Twelve ships , no wonder there are protests today.

Put Venice Canal Protest in Google and have a look at all the photos of the ships in the canals. They are truly OBSCENE, and it is CRIMINAL to allow them there.

Do the shopkeepers, hotel, tour and transport operators, restaurateurs and overcharging gondoliers feel the same way? Venice requires billions of euro for restoration work. Are the protesters/residents willing to pay significantly higher taxes for this to compensate for loss of revenue should cruise ships be excluded. Official figures from the European Cruise Council show that the cruise industry brought some 536 million euros ($A629 million) in revenue to Venice last year and employs 5,470 people in the city.

Next time you're in Venice check out the damage to buildings caused by <b>small boat craft</b> exceeding the speed limits (in the minor canals, not just the Grand Canal).

Me thinks that the problems Venice face are multifaceted and need to be addressed without vilifying a specific industry.

Supposedly, 40,000 were getting off the 13 cruise ships but they are in Venice for a short time only. I wonder whether they spend much money apart from a snack or ice cream. Shopping, museum visiting and eating require leisure and these people appear only to walk through the tourist routes with an occasional look at souvenirs.

Sadly, I agree with worldinabag.

The only tourists I have heard locals complain about were East Europeans who were reported to arrive in the Veneto in large busses, sleep in tents, and pack picnic lunches for their day trip to Venice.

I am sympathetic to both sides since I live in a tourist destination where many of my friends depend on the people who pack our sidewalks and make life less than pleasant for what is really only about three months a year.

I also feel bad for our tourists, particularly day trippers, who never leave the same ten block square when 90% of everything that makes us unique and worth visiting is outside that small area.

This article says a lot.

http://www.italymagazine.com/feature...g-ships-lagoon

And this article says even more... The "Who Does What in Venice" summary at the end of the article is particularly sad to read. Too many fiefdoms.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/arch...gination=false

Also at the end of the article is a link to a response to the article from the Mayor of Venice.

The same author wrote this online-only article:

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/artic...ourist--/29981