In this international trip, we toured several beautiful cities, including breath-taking Bled, Slovenia and Venice, Italy. The beauties are different across cities, so do their challenges. The challenges are complex and needs art of balancing between benefits and “cost” that tourist bring.
Bled is full of natural beauty and breathtaking. Accordingly to Bled city mayor, Bled residents enjoy the economic benefit that tourist bring, but want to preserve their natural beauty and their lifestyle. This is very challenging in balancing. If Bled limits the number of tourist, it is hard to filter or put a quota in there, without hurting their image as not welcoming. If not-welcoming massage is broadcasted, that may hurt the Bled tourism industry in long term. It is hard problem to solve.
Venice is over-crowded. Over 20 million tourist visited this city in 2016, which bring challenge and interference to the local residents. As a result, the resident population has been declining, with current population at only 54k. Venice has beauty of art and uniqueness of “water city” and their have more leverage in their side to balance the benefit and “cost”. As people there protested, they may be able to balance by reducing the number of Cruise boats' docking. Tourist from Cruise boats may not stay overnight and may not spend much in the city. The benefit from Cruise tourist may be limited, but the number of tourist from “Giant” cruise boats is huge. Not sure what Venice would do, but this is a possible solution to “relax” the over-crowdedness in the city.
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