The Challenge of Future for the Post-COVID-19 Tourism in the City of Venice

The present chapter has presented and discussed the tourism context in the city of Venice before and after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, by underlining how the city went overnight from a situation of overtourism to one of absolute lack of tourists. Times and ways for recovery don’t refer to the tourism sector only but they involve the entire local social and economic system, since the indissoluble link between tourism and any other social and economic functions in the city. In the pre-covid period Venice had fallen into a sort of vicious circle, based on the continuous growth of tourists, on a dangerous tourist monoculture and so on an unsustainable development model. If the entire community agrees that today the return of tourists is essential and hoped for by all in order to restart the city, it agrees as well on the fact that tourism can no longer be as before. However, it is not an easy task to design and above all to implement a new tourism development, since there are different players and interests at stake. It’s up to them and then to the entire community (from tourism operators, to local institutions, from residents and other local actors) to decide which future to develop for the city and to put the best conditions. This chapter has discussed some of the main issues and some possible scenarios for the recovery: new products and experiences for more responsible tourist targets; advanced mobility management; use of spaces (for residents and visitors); advanced and user-friendly information and booking tools; a different relationship with tourist intermediaries; creativity and innovation of tourist operators. Rethinking Venetian tourism will ultimately mean redesigning, in a process of sharing and coordination between all players, the mechanisms for creating value, intended as the capacity of satisfying those who visit, work and live in Venice.