VENICE – The population of the floating metropolis has dropped to under 50,000 for the first time, as the number of tourists continues to increase, chasing out the local population.

 Venice’s population peaked at 164,000 in 1931 and has since lost over 120,000 residents, in large part due to the surplus of tourists, overtaking the squares and alleys of the enchanting UNESCO protected city. 

 According to Venessia.com, an activist group that seek to protect the city’s heritage, the number of residents stood at 49,997 on Thursday. 

 Matteo Secchi, who heads the organisation, explained the decline by an overtaking of tourism that has led to higher living costs, an “economic machine” that prioritises tourism over residents, and an overall “suffocating” feeling. Venessia.com declared that the population dropping to 49,999 constitutes a “historical and symbolic event,” as a population under 50,000 struggles to define itself as a city, with the number corresponding rather to that of a small town. 

 In 2009, the organisation held an event called “Funeral of Venice” when the population dropped under 60,000. 

 Group leader of organisation “Tutta la città insieme!” (The whole city together), Giovanni Andrea Martini laments the “worrying” decline in population as a sign of “a city that is emptying of its own life.” 

 In 2019, the Venice Tourism Department recorded over five million visitors. The great number of tourists flocking into the city with its stunning scenery, home to a myriad of world-renown cultural events, such as the Venice Biennale and the Biennale Cinema, comes as no surprise to its residents. However, during the peak of the pandemic, when tourism was curbed due to lockdowns, its citizens were able to truly experience the tranquillity the city offers without the echoing ruckus of group tours and entertainment troupes that invade the narrow streets. 

 A year and a half later, the city emerged from the depths of the pandemic and began to draw in tourists again, in significant numbers. In 2021, a total of 2.1 million tourists poured into the floating city. Just as the economy began to rebound, thanks to tourist trade, feelings of claustrophobia and disillusionment for its residents began to seep in, as the Gondola’s were back in business and the city’s streets began to fill. The sheer numbers of tourists continue to put pressure on the city’s sewerage and recycling facilities, as well as on transport and accommodation. Souvenir shops luring in hordes of tourists take priority over essential businesses, leaving residents feeling second place to short-term visitors. 

 Secchi of Venessia.com explains the frustrating dichotomy of tourism for its residents: “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].” 

 Tourism, a downfall to many who are lucky enough to call the dazzling city home, but a powerful propellor of its survival. 

 Secchi concluded, “The danger is that we are becoming extinct, soon we will be like relics in an open museum.”

 al