The four year long debate over whether cruise ships should be allowed in Venice Island or not is to be decided this weekend.
Two men are running for mayor: one pro cruise, one anti cruise.
The man that wins will be able to decide the cruise ship question and possibly the fate of Venice’s entire tourist industry once and for all.
As you may recall the Italian government moved to ban megaships from entering Venice last year but the decision was then revoked.
The question is – if the decision is made again to ban cruise ships entering Venice – will it hold?
The man against cruises (Felice Casson) has already made it clear that he is open to an alternative port for cruisers in the form of a new offshore platform (which would involve guests being tendered in).
Other options include using industrial ports further down the coast which have long been in decline or even building new channels into the city.
But without cruise tourism, will Venice continue to thrive as a tourist hot spot?
Do you think cruise ships should be allowed to enter Venice? Or do you think they should be banned to protect the waterways?
Let us know in the comments below!
