https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/venetians-venice-italy-fear-city-becoming-a-museum-as-population-falls-to-50000 [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Advertisement US edition[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australian edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian: news website of the year Search jobs Sign in Search [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle ShowMoreShow More * [ ]News + US news + World news + Environment + Soccer + US politics + Business + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Fight to vote * [ ]Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + NHL + F1 * [ ]Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money + Make a contribution + Subscribe * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Puzzles app + Guardian content licensing site + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords * + Facebook + Twitter * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Puzzles app + Guardian content licensing site * World * Europe * US * Americas * Asia * Australia * Middle East * Africa * Inequality * Global development Venice Venetians fear 'museum relic' status as population drops below 50,000 Campaigners say Italian city's remaining residents feel 'suffocated' by effects of tourism Rialto Bridge, Venice, with gondolas in view. [ ] Thousands of tourists crowd Venice's iconic bridges and squares each day. Photograph: fazon1/Getty Images/iStockphoto Thousands of tourists crowd Venice's iconic bridges and squares each day. Photograph: fazon1/Getty Images/iStockphoto Angela Giuffrida in Rome Wed 10 Aug 2022 09.16 EDTLast modified on Wed 10 Aug 2022 16.58 EDT * * * The remaining inhabitants of Venice's historic centre said they fear becoming like "relics in an open museum" now that the population is expected to drop below 50,000 for the first time. Once the heart of a powerful maritime republic, Venice's main island has lost more than 120,000 residents since the early 1950s, driven away by myriad issues but mainly a focus on mass tourism that has caused the population to be dwarfed by the thousands of visitors who crowd its squares, bridges and narrow walkways each day. Venessia.com, an activist group that for years has campaigned to preserve Venice's heritage, has kept track of the population decline and said the figure, now at 50,011, would fall below 50,000 by Friday. "We don't have a precise number but, according to our calculations, and using data from the civil registry, it will go below 50,000," said Matteo Secchi, who leads Venessia.com. "We have been warning about this for years ... we don't want to give up, but no administration has managed to reverse the trend." Secchi said that those who remain feel "suffocated" by an "economic machine" that has focused on tourism. He said it had left residents grappling with a high cost of living, a lack of affordable housing, and led to businesses that sell essential items being replaced by souvenir shops. "Tourism is a double-edged sword because you take money but at the same time you expel all the activities and space for [the residents]," said Secchi, who described Venice as "a cash machine". "There are those who are not from here but own a home, rent it out and then spend the money elsewhere." Venice authorities this year announced a plan to attract remote workers to the city, but it appears to have made little impact. "This kind of thing is OK, but we need an epochal change and for the council to bring in significant measures, such as offering financial incentives to property owners who, say, only rent to Venetians," said Secchi. "The danger is that we are becoming extinct, soon we will be like relics in an open museum." Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter - every weekday morning at 7am BST Venice council dismissed the population concerns, arguing that the number is boosted by foreign students and daily commuters from nearby Mestre, and that the civil registry does not include those who may dwell in the city for a significant part of the year but who are not registered as a resident. An electronic ticker displayed in the window of the Morelli chemist has recorded the population on Venice's main island since 2008. "Today it's at 50,011, down from 50,022 last week, and for sure it will go under the 50,000 threshold in the next few days," said the chemist's owner, Andrea Morelli. "The drop is very demoralising. I remember Venice as a child, when the local population presided. You would go for a stroll in St Mark's Square and see people you knew. Not any more." Topics * Venice * Italy * Europe * news * * * * * * Reuse this content More on this story More on this story * [5141] Venice day-trippers will have to make reservations and pay fee 2 Jul 2022 * [3730] Venice pushes ahead with EUR10 entry fee plan as tourists flock back 19 Apr 2022 * [3500] Venice hotel guests issued with water pistols to shoot gulls 24 Mar 2022 * [5111] Italy bans cruise ships from Venice lagoon after Unesco threat 13 Jul 2021 * [5183] Monsters or a must? Venice tussles with return of cruise ships 14 Jun 2021 * [5111] Hundreds protest against return of giant cruise ships to Venice - video 6 Jun 2021 * [3372] 'We were deceived': hundreds protest in Venice at return of giant cruise ships 5 Jun 2021 * [1800] Venezia players celebrate return to Serie A with boat parade through city - video 31 May 2021 Most popular Most popular * World * Europe * US * Americas * Asia * Australia * Middle East * Africa * Inequality * Global development * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email * About us * Contact us * Complaints & corrections * SecureDrop * Work for us * Privacy policy * Cookie policy * Terms & conditions * Help * All topics * All writers * Digital newspaper archive * Facebook * YouTube * Instagram * LinkedIn * Twitter * Newsletters * Advertise with us * Guardian Labs * Search jobs Back to top (c) 2022 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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