Venetians leave Venice as tourist numbers increase

175,000 people called Venice home in 1951. There were fewer than 50 000 residents there in 2020. There are numerous social and economic factors contributing to the decline. These include growing living expenses, congested transportation networks, a lack of well-paying employment possibilities, the replacement of retail establishments by tourist souvenir shops, and rising housing costs as tourists vie for space with locals. Nearly 36 million tourists visited the city of Venice in 2019. These numerous people are gathered in a region that is smaller than 3 square miles in size (8 square kilometers). The atmosphere for locals, landmarks, and learning about the local way of life and culture suffers as a result.

Along with a yearly astounding growth in visitors, the manner of visiting the city has altered recently. For instance, many tourists now visit Venice as a day or hour trip as part of a cruise, significantly altering the city's social, logistical, economic, and touristic elements. Venice's tiny size and morphology make it impossible to provide picnic or rest spaces, which makes the already congested city even more congested as a result of tourists sitting down to relax and eat on bridges, tight passageways, home doors, and store windows.