- Email: [email protected]
Veniceland Atlantis: The Bleak Future of the World’s Favourite City
Tourism Management 36 (2013) 1–2
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book Review
Veniceland Atlantis: The Bleak Future of the World’s Favourite City, R. France. Libri Publishing, Faringdon, Oxfordshire. 113 pp., £17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781907471131 Venice is a highly emotive subject for tourism researchers – it epitomises the excess of tourism when restraint and management are not exercised to control the volume and impact of tourism. As a result this was a book one could not ignore – not least because it is a combination of academic insight and coffee table appeal. The landscape format for the book also differentiates it from the usual run of the mill academic book that has a standard portrait format. This book is anything but standard, being from a small independent publisher and is presented in a highly visual and emotive style. The emotion is displayed in the title, reinforced by the blurb from the Publisher that refers to the book as a primer that lays out the current plight of Venice from ecological, scientific, economic and political perspectives. It outlines the multifaceted problems facing this unique water city which are fraught with complexities and seemingly insurmountable constraints. I would agree wholeheartedly with the publisher that this should be a book to be read by students of sustainability, particularly those interested in tourism. It highlights the problems which tourism poses for urban planning and management. It reinforces the argument put forward by Ashworth and Page (2011) that tourists need cities but cities do not necessarily need tourists. Whilst Venice is the most extreme example of this analogy, it does illustrate the seemingly unstoppable march of tourism in driving out residents and in damaging the urban infrastructure. A more popular than academic book in style and approach, it is clearly structured into two distinct parts: one part on the development and associated issues and the other on the management problems facing the water city. Each chapter is followed by a fascinating photo essay which acts as a guided tour of the specific issues and problems highlighted by the text. The introductory chapter is on the main challenges for Venice’s estuarine environment but the real richness of this book (aside from the web enhancements) lies in the photo essays. For example, the ‘scars of Venice’ photo essay depicts the anthropocentric approach to the environment, with resulting environmental degradation from heavy industry along with hydrological modifications. The staggering loss of half to three quarters of Venice’s salt water marshes epitomises a failure to understand the interconnections in the estuarine environment. The photo essay highlights the implications of such failures to protect the estuarine environment, with the impact of flooding and building damage from wave action. The chapter ‘Protecting and Rebuilding Venice’ demonstrates the remedial measures underway to restore the damage to this fragile ecosystem and the pollution of the lagoon, directly attributed to factory waste dumped 0261-5177/$ – see front matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.10.015
into the lagoon. What clearly emerges in the text is the predominance of commissioned studies each time a problem is publicly highlighted, and the lack of subsequent action or implementation of recommendations. The accompanying photo essay highlights the detailed measures needed to address flooding issues, such as raising pavements to protect against the tide problem. Success stories such as the reclamation of the Mestre on the mainland to create Parco San Guiliano, which provided a new recreational environment for Venetians is also discussed. The engineering work to remove sediments from Venice’s lands to restore the cleaning cycle of tidal action is detailed alongside restorative work on Venetian buildings and both are well explained. Similar themes (shoreline defences and lagoon models/flood barriers) are given detailed treatment through photographs and explanatory text. The second section of the book entitled – ‘Sociology’ is where the tourism researcher will find the greatest interest (although as a geographer I enjoyed reading all elements of this holistic analysis of Venice). The first chapter in this section is entitled aptly: ‘Veniceland, Invasion of the City Snatchers’. It highlights some of the popular and polemical reviews of tourism in the city, arguing that since the fall of the Republic over 200 years ago, the city has not been defined by its residents, but by pleasure-seeking visitors. The chapter points to the 35% contribution of tourism to the city’s economic activity and the 83% contribution to the city’s waste. This is a damning indictment of tourism’s impact. The chapter also points to the monoculture guidelines of tourism that prevent innovation and economic diversification and which is ‘unequivocally unsustainable’ (p. 80). Tourism has displaced Venetians and economic activity: now only 25% of Venetians are living in the city and many commute to the mainland for employment. A further 10–20,000 people who cannot afford to live in the city now commute into Venice each day. This type of displacement by tourists’ pursuit of Venice’s charm and historic qualities means that the Disneyland qualities of its tourism economy have overrun the city in the summer season. This is highlighted by the author where ‘Tourism has stripped the City of its culture and needed facilities, indigenous life being completely suffocated as tourists expropriate ever more and more of the city’ (p. 81). The accompanying photo chapter ‘Close to the Madding crowd’ pictorially documents these overwhelming elements of tourism ranging from day tripper arrivals, marine arrivals by cruise ship and the lemming-like behaviour of the visitors following the ‘umbrellaholding of flag-waving tour guides (p. 87). The congestion in the city is well depicted (certainly not the stuff of promotional brochures) as they clog up the main route ways and iconic landmarks like St Marks. Locals simply avoid these locations in the peak season. The next chapter ‘Petulance, Prejudice and Politics in Saving a Dying City’ examines the divisions associated with the city’s
2
Book Review / Tourism Management 36 (2013) 1–2
MOSE flood protection scheme and whether it will save or damage the city. What France incredulously outlines is that an Environmental Impact Statement was produced retrospectively after construction has started. Environmentalists are highly critical of the effect that frequent closing of the flood gates may have on the lagoon ecosystem. There is also a highly critical review of the MOSE projects contribution to sustainable development. The author describes MOSE as a vampire sucking all the economic resources of the city, highlighting perceived mismanagement of the public sector resources to ensure the city’s future. Instead France points to city management willingness to constantly adapt the city to tourist use, including costly and unnecessary new infrastructure. The penultimate chapter ‘Should I Fake My Time or Go Slowly’, which is a photo essay, highlights many of the features of the continued environmental mismanagement of Venice punctuated by delays in public decision-making. The key message is that with forecasts of up to 20 million visitors to Venice in the near future, the prognosis for the physical environment is grim. Future proposals for mass rapid transit systems to carry visitors illustrate the dichotomy between managing and expanding Venice’s tourism capacity. One debate in the photo essay is whether the Disney Corporation is now the only organisation capable of managing a mass tourism destination like Venice. The conclusion ‘Future of a Reinvented City’ begins with an analogy of the city as a ‘sick patient that is constantly revived, but never cured’ (p. 31) pointing to the death of the city through
tourism. A postscript follows which is a candid interview with the author that constitutes a critical debate on his very definite views on the city. As someone fascinated by urban tourism, especially the case of Venice and the problems related to tourism, I would make this essential reading for every student new to tourism (as well as planners). The lack of understanding of the problems which are induced by tourism really restores my faith in academia to be the critic and conscience of society. The book is refreshing in that it holds unpopular views and generates engaging debates on difficult issues. This will take pride of place on my bookshelf next to De Mosta (2004) and it will also serve as a continuing reminder of how important it is to demonstrate that tourism is not appropriate to the economy of every place on this planet. It reaffirms the need for certain places to be protected and, if necessary, reduce or exclude tourism activity where it is unacceptably detrimental to its raison d’etre. References Ashworth, G., & Page, S. J. (2011). Progress in tourism management: urban tourism research: recent progress and current paradoxes. Tourism Management, 32(1), 1–15. De Mosta, F. (2004). Venice: The dramatic history of the world’s most beautiful city. London: BBC Books.
Stephen Page School of Tourism, Bournemouth University, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book Review
Veniceland Atlantis: The Bleak Future of the World’s Favourite City, R. France. Libri Publishing, Faringdon, Oxfordshire. 113 pp., £17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781907471131 Venice is a highly emotive subject for tourism researchers – it epitomises the excess of tourism when restraint and management are not exercised to control the volume and impact of tourism. As a result this was a book one could not ignore – not least because it is a combination of academic insight and coffee table appeal. The landscape format for the book also differentiates it from the usual run of the mill academic book that has a standard portrait format. This book is anything but standard, being from a small independent publisher and is presented in a highly visual and emotive style. The emotion is displayed in the title, reinforced by the blurb from the Publisher that refers to the book as a primer that lays out the current plight of Venice from ecological, scientific, economic and political perspectives. It outlines the multifaceted problems facing this unique water city which are fraught with complexities and seemingly insurmountable constraints. I would agree wholeheartedly with the publisher that this should be a book to be read by students of sustainability, particularly those interested in tourism. It highlights the problems which tourism poses for urban planning and management. It reinforces the argument put forward by Ashworth and Page (2011) that tourists need cities but cities do not necessarily need tourists. Whilst Venice is the most extreme example of this analogy, it does illustrate the seemingly unstoppable march of tourism in driving out residents and in damaging the urban infrastructure. A more popular than academic book in style and approach, it is clearly structured into two distinct parts: one part on the development and associated issues and the other on the management problems facing the water city. Each chapter is followed by a fascinating photo essay which acts as a guided tour of the specific issues and problems highlighted by the text. The introductory chapter is on the main challenges for Venice’s estuarine environment but the real richness of this book (aside from the web enhancements) lies in the photo essays. For example, the ‘scars of Venice’ photo essay depicts the anthropocentric approach to the environment, with resulting environmental degradation from heavy industry along with hydrological modifications. The staggering loss of half to three quarters of Venice’s salt water marshes epitomises a failure to understand the interconnections in the estuarine environment. The photo essay highlights the implications of such failures to protect the estuarine environment, with the impact of flooding and building damage from wave action. The chapter ‘Protecting and Rebuilding Venice’ demonstrates the remedial measures underway to restore the damage to this fragile ecosystem and the pollution of the lagoon, directly attributed to factory waste dumped 0261-5177/$ – see front matter http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.10.015
into the lagoon. What clearly emerges in the text is the predominance of commissioned studies each time a problem is publicly highlighted, and the lack of subsequent action or implementation of recommendations. The accompanying photo essay highlights the detailed measures needed to address flooding issues, such as raising pavements to protect against the tide problem. Success stories such as the reclamation of the Mestre on the mainland to create Parco San Guiliano, which provided a new recreational environment for Venetians is also discussed. The engineering work to remove sediments from Venice’s lands to restore the cleaning cycle of tidal action is detailed alongside restorative work on Venetian buildings and both are well explained. Similar themes (shoreline defences and lagoon models/flood barriers) are given detailed treatment through photographs and explanatory text. The second section of the book entitled – ‘Sociology’ is where the tourism researcher will find the greatest interest (although as a geographer I enjoyed reading all elements of this holistic analysis of Venice). The first chapter in this section is entitled aptly: ‘Veniceland, Invasion of the City Snatchers’. It highlights some of the popular and polemical reviews of tourism in the city, arguing that since the fall of the Republic over 200 years ago, the city has not been defined by its residents, but by pleasure-seeking visitors. The chapter points to the 35% contribution of tourism to the city’s economic activity and the 83% contribution to the city’s waste. This is a damning indictment of tourism’s impact. The chapter also points to the monoculture guidelines of tourism that prevent innovation and economic diversification and which is ‘unequivocally unsustainable’ (p. 80). Tourism has displaced Venetians and economic activity: now only 25% of Venetians are living in the city and many commute to the mainland for employment. A further 10–20,000 people who cannot afford to live in the city now commute into Venice each day. This type of displacement by tourists’ pursuit of Venice’s charm and historic qualities means that the Disneyland qualities of its tourism economy have overrun the city in the summer season. This is highlighted by the author where ‘Tourism has stripped the City of its culture and needed facilities, indigenous life being completely suffocated as tourists expropriate ever more and more of the city’ (p. 81). The accompanying photo chapter ‘Close to the Madding crowd’ pictorially documents these overwhelming elements of tourism ranging from day tripper arrivals, marine arrivals by cruise ship and the lemming-like behaviour of the visitors following the ‘umbrellaholding of flag-waving tour guides (p. 87). The congestion in the city is well depicted (certainly not the stuff of promotional brochures) as they clog up the main route ways and iconic landmarks like St Marks. Locals simply avoid these locations in the peak season. The next chapter ‘Petulance, Prejudice and Politics in Saving a Dying City’ examines the divisions associated with the city’s
2
Book Review / Tourism Management 36 (2013) 1–2
MOSE flood protection scheme and whether it will save or damage the city. What France incredulously outlines is that an Environmental Impact Statement was produced retrospectively after construction has started. Environmentalists are highly critical of the effect that frequent closing of the flood gates may have on the lagoon ecosystem. There is also a highly critical review of the MOSE projects contribution to sustainable development. The author describes MOSE as a vampire sucking all the economic resources of the city, highlighting perceived mismanagement of the public sector resources to ensure the city’s future. Instead France points to city management willingness to constantly adapt the city to tourist use, including costly and unnecessary new infrastructure. The penultimate chapter ‘Should I Fake My Time or Go Slowly’, which is a photo essay, highlights many of the features of the continued environmental mismanagement of Venice punctuated by delays in public decision-making. The key message is that with forecasts of up to 20 million visitors to Venice in the near future, the prognosis for the physical environment is grim. Future proposals for mass rapid transit systems to carry visitors illustrate the dichotomy between managing and expanding Venice’s tourism capacity. One debate in the photo essay is whether the Disney Corporation is now the only organisation capable of managing a mass tourism destination like Venice. The conclusion ‘Future of a Reinvented City’ begins with an analogy of the city as a ‘sick patient that is constantly revived, but never cured’ (p. 31) pointing to the death of the city through
tourism. A postscript follows which is a candid interview with the author that constitutes a critical debate on his very definite views on the city. As someone fascinated by urban tourism, especially the case of Venice and the problems related to tourism, I would make this essential reading for every student new to tourism (as well as planners). The lack of understanding of the problems which are induced by tourism really restores my faith in academia to be the critic and conscience of society. The book is refreshing in that it holds unpopular views and generates engaging debates on difficult issues. This will take pride of place on my bookshelf next to De Mosta (2004) and it will also serve as a continuing reminder of how important it is to demonstrate that tourism is not appropriate to the economy of every place on this planet. It reaffirms the need for certain places to be protected and, if necessary, reduce or exclude tourism activity where it is unacceptably detrimental to its raison d’etre. References Ashworth, G., & Page, S. J. (2011). Progress in tourism management: urban tourism research: recent progress and current paradoxes. Tourism Management, 32(1), 1–15. De Mosta, F. (2004). Venice: The dramatic history of the world’s most beautiful city. London: BBC Books.
Stephen Page School of Tourism, Bournemouth University, UK E-mail address: [email protected]