Mara ManenteDirector, Ciset-Ca’ Foscari

Presidenza Italiana del Consiglio dell’Unione Europea

International ConferenceHeritage Commons: Towards a participative heritage governance in the third millennium

Venaria Reale, Torino, 23-24 Settembre 2014

SESSION 2: Community identity as an engine for well-being and prosperity

VENEZIA: A SUSTAINABILE OR UNSUSTAINABLE BEAUTY?

VENEZIA: A SUSTAINABILE OR UNSUSTAINABLE BEAUTY?

A BIG “ATTRACTION”

Venezia Historical Centre: tourist arrivals trend

Source: Comune di Venezia

-Historical Centre: About 2.5 mln total arrivals (+1.9%) and 6.2 mln total nights (+2.9%) in 2013

- International Tourists: 2,2 mln arrivals and 5,5 mln nights (88% of the total)- Residents in the Historical Centre: 58.700 - turists/residents ratio: about 42 overnighting tourists

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1600000

1800000

2000000

2200000

2400000

2600000

2800000

1949

1952

1955

1958

1961

1964

1967

1970

1973

1976

1979

1982

1985

1988

1991

1994

1997

2000

2003

2006

2009

2012

Venezia HC: Total bedplaces trend

…. and the bed places ……

1258214470

19670

26273 26600 27763

02000400060008000

1000012000140001600018000200002200024000260002800030000

1995 2000 2005 2010 2011 2012

Totali Alberghieri Extralberghieri

Fonte: Elaborazioni CISET su dati Comune di Venezia

Venezia HC: bedplaces composition(% values). 1995-2012

87,5%

82,7%

72,4%

61,9%

61,0%

59,5%

12,5%

17,3%

27,6%

38,1%

39,0%

40,5%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

1995

2000

2005

2010

2011

2012

Alberghi Extralb.

VENEZIA - TOTAL VISITORS: the numbers are higher than official statistics

About 20 mln visitors per year (358 visitors/residents ratio) of which:

Excursionists (70%) Tourists (30%)

Falseexcursionists

Cruisers

Other excursionists Other tourists

Cruisers

TOTAL GROSS REVENUE :1,5-2 bln euros

FALSE EXCURSIONISTS –

- visitors who choose to stay outside the Historical Centre even though Venezia is their main travel destination

VENICE RELEVANT TOURIST REGION

the area where false excursionists stay, outside the historical centre

OTHER EXCURSIONISTS - • true excursionists – visitors coming from and going back to their place of residence in the same day• indirect excursionists - visitors coming from and going back to the place where they are spending their holidays during the same day• in-transit excursionists – visitors making a stop during their travel from home to another destination or during a travel itinerary

DIFFERENT TYPOLOGIES OF VISITORS

EXCURSIONISTS bring the destination more costs and less benefits than traditional tourist as the main share of their budget (accommodation) is non-existent or benefits other areas

• COSTS MOSTLY TO THE DESTINATION

• BENEFITS MOSTLY OUTSIDE IT

Very high weight of same-day visitors in comparison to tourists (about 70:30)

JESOLO

NOVENTA

SCORZE’

STRA’

MONSELICE

SOTTOMARINA

Coastal axis

Riviera

Mirano area

Terme euganee

PiaveTerraglio

Coastal axis

MOBILITY AXES

MESTRE

45 MINUTES

45 MINUTES45 MINUTES

45 MINUTES

45 MINUTES

Source: CISET

VENEZIA AND ITS RELEVANT TOURIST REGION

Have you ever heard of the Veneto Region before? No 89,6%

Have you ever visited this region? No, 85,1%

BUTHave you visited Venice before? Yes, 83,6%

Which sights would you like to visit/have you visited in Venice?•St Mark’s: yes 80,6%•Doge’s Palace: yes 76,1%•Peggy Guggenheim Collection: yes 41,8%•Scuola di San Rocco: yes 38,8%•Arsenal: yes 31,3%•Ca’ Rezzonico: yes 23,9%

VENEZIA VS VENETO REGION

THE COSTS/BENEFITS BALANCE

NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES

• pollution of the environment, due to ships, congestion, etc.

• crowding out of other urban functions, and a more complex “second level” crowding out, when activities related to cultural, high-quality visits are replaced with others selling cheap, mass flow oriented goods

• increase in the prices of any kind of good, affecting residents’ welfare

• congestion, worsened by seasonality• parking problems • contests on the use of spaces for different

purposes • Clash between residents and visitors

• Visitors pay for the “support services“ provided by commercial activities

• The costs for the provision of the primary attractions lie mainly on the residents

• The fiscal mechanism cannot completely bridge the gap

MASS TOURISM

!!!! The problem of costs/benefits balance can be further complicated by the visitors composition (tourists/excursionists ratio)

VENEZIA PROFILE

• Venezia is a complex destination, with strong relationships with the mainland and the surrounding tourist region

• Excursionist flows in the historical centre are a strong component of total tourist demand, with a higher weight than in other national and European art cities (e.g. Rome, Paris)

• There is a high percentage of first time visitors vs. repeaters. Of those who return for different reasons (special events, etc.) only 12% stay in the historical centre; 37% choose an accommodation in the mainland and 31% in the relevant tourist region (Source:CISET)

• The crowding out of other urban economic functions and of activities related to high-quality visits is still evident, in spite of recent evolution of cultural supply (new attractions and events)

• According to the current competitive environment, the sustainability and competitiveness of the destination stay in its capacity to attract new market segments, to increase the significance of core attractions and make tourism a component of a complex project of urban development

Vagueness of the Vagueness of the atmosphereatmosphere

Very traditional elements Very traditional elements and poor innovationand poor innovation

High risk of standardising High risk of standardising and banalisingand banalising

High % of visitors at their High % of visitors at their first experience (70% vs first experience (70% vs 50% in other art cities)50% in other art cities)

Low differentiation in Low differentiation in motivations (against high motivations (against high differentiation by origin differentiation by origin market with increasing role market with increasing role of extra-Europe)of extra-Europe)

Request for a standardised Request for a standardised productproduct

The ProductThe Product MarketsMarkets

High turnover of the clienteleHigh turnover of the clientele

High dependence from poor differentiated marketsHigh dependence from poor differentiated markets

The risks

Summary index Calculation

Role of International tourism demand foreign arrivals / total arrivals (hard data)

Variety of socio-demographic segments

Weighted mean of scores given to the weight (number and intensity) of each socio-demographic segments on both domestic and international markets (surveys+experts)

Variety of tourist activities/experiences offered to tourists

Weighted mean of scores given to the weight (number and intensity) of each specific activity/experience performed by both domestic and international tourists (surveys+experts)

Significance of core resources and attractors

Simple mean of scores given to the significance (variety and resonance) of different kinds of resources/attractors (surveys+experts)

Competitiveness of accommodation supply

Simple mean of scores given to the capacity of accommodation supply to satisfy each expenditure profile (surveys+experts)

Relative cost of the city for tourists Score obtained by comparing the scores given by experts to the perceived cost of the city for tourists and for residents

Presence of the city Simple mean derived from the scores to the role the city had in the last 30 years in different fields(e.g. culture, style, etc.)

Pulse of the city Simple mean derived from the scores given to vivacity of city life both at daytime and at night

Potential of the city Simple mean of the scores given to the role each city is expected to have in different fields (culture, lifestyle, etc.) and to the economic and educational opportunities it offers/will offer

Can we analize the competitive profile of Venezia?

more than 90 variables economic role political roleurban environment and services (transports, traffic jam...) tourists’ profiles and experience core resources and attractorsaccommodation prices (tourist prices, cost of living) branding (presence, pulse, attributes) Internet accessibility

An “icon” cityGENERAL•Tourism plays a driver role:: mono-culture

•The city is the attraction: just a few sites are recognized, but the potential of the resources is not completely exploited

•Reduced differentiation of tourism demand by motivation

•No peculiar development or change to lead them out of their side-line role in the next 20 years

BRAND INDICES

• Powerful tourist brands, strongly attracting international demand, • Presence in other sectors (politics, economics, culture, fashion, etc. ) considered not so significant in the last 30 years

• Urban life perceived as ‘static’ and not exciting (pulse)*

* The two super-index have been conceived to be assimilable to Anholt City Brand Index in order to compare resuls

Reinforce and differentiate the economic base (avoid tourism as mono-colture)

Increase the ratio of repeaters

Differentiate motivations

Qualify demand and its behaviour in order to avoid standardisation/banalisation

PRIORITIES (1)

According to the current competitive environment, the sustainability and competitiveness of the destination stay in its capacity to attract new market segments, to increase the significance of core attractions and make tourism a component of a complex project of urban development

re-qualify the “destination offer” within the context of the “Città Metropolitana”

diversification of the offer :-following the “experience approach” to cultural products, - through the rediscover of the multi-faceted connections with the lagoon and the “terraferma” along the exiting mobility axes in order to avoid the “Gran Canal view” approach

…… priorities (2)

Many Thanks!Mara Manente

CISET - Università Ca’ Foscariemail:

mara.manente03@unive.itciset@unive.it

URL: http//:www.unive.it/ciset

@ilCISET@ manente03