Can Venice survive its own global popularity?

 Tourism is one of the foundations of Venice's economy, where millions of visitors arrive every year totalling 7.7% of Venice’s GDP in 2022, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. The number of sightseers has become so significant that Venice introduced a day-visitor entry fee in 2024 in an attempt to manage overcrowding during peak periods.

Discussions about tourism in Venice often focus on the visible effects. Crowded streets, rising housing costs and the declining local population, dominate public debate. Yet some researchers argue that another consequence receives far less attention: the impact on the lagoon surrounding the city. 

According to UNESCO, the heritage site covers just over 70,000 hectares (roughly 270 square miles) and is the largest wetland in the Mediterranean Basin. It supports fish populations, migratory birds, and a range of habitats that have helped sustain the city for centuries.  

Looking Beyond St Mark's Square

Erika Vadacca, a tour guide who has been working in the industry since she was 14 years old, says many people leave with only a partial understanding of the city. 

"People come for two or three days, they see San Marco and Rialto, and then they leave," she says. "They don't realise Venice depends completely on the lagoon around it." 

Away from the historic centre, the atmosphere changes. Large sections of the environment are made up of wetlands, shallow channels and islands where the pace of life is noticeably slower. Fishing boats move between islands while birds gather in marshland areas that most visitors never see. 

These quieter locations have become increasingly attractive to visitors looking to escape the busiest parts of Venice. Boat excursions and guided trips now take sightseers further into the lagoon, introducing them to places that were once largely outside the tourist experience. 

The trend has created opportunities for businesses while also raising questions about how much pressure the ecosystem can absorb. 

The Lagoon as a Tourist Destination 

Professor Marco Picone, who researches ecology and ecotoxicology of aquatic ecosystems at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, believes tourism has already transformed parts of Venice's environment. 

"We lost a lot of environmentally relevant habitat on the shoulder of tourism," he says, "I hope that it won't happen also in the lagoon." 

Picone believes the discussion should not focus solely on visitor numbers. Instead, he points to the growing use of the environment itself as a tourism product. 

"Tourist operators exploit more and more of the lagoon for tourism," he says. 

The professor argues that environmental concerns are often overshadowed by economic interests. Venice depends heavily on visitors, making it difficult to separate discussions about conservation from discussions about income and employment.

At the same time, many environmental changes are difficult to notice. Unlike overcrowded streets or long queues, damage to ecosystems often happens gradually. Visitors can spend several days in Venice without realising that the habitat beneath and around the city is changing. 

"Nobody cares about the environment of the area," says Vadacca. 

What Lies Beneath the Surface 

An important aspect of the marine ecosystem is the seagrass meadows, although hidden underwater, they play an important role in the lagoon.  The meadows provide habitat for fish and other species while helping maintain water quality. Researchers also view it as an indicator of the lagoon's overall health. 

Dr Giulia Silan, a seagrass meadows researcher, says that despite concerns about tourism pressure the ecosystems story is not entirely negative. During the 1970s and 1980s, pollution from industrial and agricultural activities caused severe ecological problems throughout the lagoon. Excess nutrients fuelled algae blooms, reducing water quality and damaging underwater habitats. 

Environmental regulations introduced over the flowing decades helped reverse some of those trends. As water quality improved, parts of the ecosystem began to recover. Seagrass meadows are one of the clearest examples of that recover. 

"Today we have almost double the seagrass compared to the 1990s," Silan says. 

She also pointed to habitat restoration projects and the reduction of damaging fishing practices as contributing factors. However, Silan warns that continued growth in boat traffic due to overtourism could threaten some of these gains. 

“More boats mean more waves, which causes more erosion of the sediment, which decreases the light that can penetrate the water, causing photosynthesis problems for seagrass,” she says. 

Climate change has added another layer of uncertainty. Rising temperatures and changing water conditions are affecting coastal ecosystems throughout the Mediterranean, including the Venice lagoon. However, researchers stress that local human activity remains an important factor when examining environmental pressures within the lagoon itself. 

For many visitors, these changes remain invisible. Tourists may notice flooding events or unusually high-water levels, but few see what is happening beneath the surface. 

A Different Perspective from Burano 

Not everyone views tourism through the same lens. 

On the island of Burano, tourism is often seen as a vital source of income. The island's colourful houses attract visitors which boosts the economy of the local businesses. 

Anna Rubelli, a local shop owner, says tourism is essential to the island. 

“The most beautiful island is Burano, the most unique in the world, so I hope more tourists will come,” she says.  

Her perspective reflects a reality shared by many people working in tourism. Visitors help sustain businesses and provide employment opportunities that might otherwise disappear. For communities dependent on tourism, more visitors often mean greater economic security. 

This creates a tension that runs throughout Venice. The same activity that supports local livelihoods can also create pressure on the environment that makes the city unique. 

Finding a Balance 

Picone believes attitudes towards the environment often reflect this tension. 

"We can say that people in Venice, in the area of Venice, are more interested in how the environment can attract tourists," he says. 

His comment highlights a broader question facing Venice. Is the lagoon primarily a natural environment that needs protection, or is it an economic resource that should continue to support tourism growth? 

For many residents, the answer is both. 

Tourism is unlikely to disappear from Venice. The city remains one of Europe's most popular destinations and continues to attract visitors from around the world. The challenge is determining how tourism can continue without placing increasing pressure on the lagoon ecosystem. 

Some local guides believe greater awareness could help. By encouraging visitors to explore beyond the city's most famous attractions, they hope tourists leave with a better understanding of the environment that supports Venice. 

Beyond the Postcard 

Millions of tourists will continue to come to Venice for its architecture, history and canals. But beyond the postcard image lies a lagoon that faces growing pressure from the same industry that keeps the city alive. Whether Venice can balance those competing demands may shape the future of both the city and the environment beneath it.