Why are people protesting against Jeff Bezos' wedding in Venice?
Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos is all set to marry journalist Lauren Sánchez next week in a extravagant ceremony in the Italian city of Venice. Over the next week, 'The Floating City', that Venice is often referred to as, will hence see an influx of hundreds of high-profile guests for the event which will reportedly spread over the whole island of San Giorgio.
However, not everyone in the city is happy about it. The news of the world's richest person choosing their city as for his 'destination wedding' has sparked protests among a section of people — the resistance being a part of a larger anti-tourism protests across southern Europe.
The 61-year-old Bezos, with a net worth of $220.9 billion, will tie the knot with his fiancée Sánchez in a multi-million event with nuptials scheduled from June 23 till June 28. According to Italian media, most of the luxury hotels and water taxis have been booked out for the celebrated guests attending the ceremony that can shut parts of the city in the coming week.
And, a section of Venetians are opposing this 'mass tourism' or 'overtourism' that such lavish weddings induce. While tourism is key to the city's economy, many residents rue that the rising number of tourists has ousted the locals and significantly harmed the city's historic landmarks. They accuse the local authorities of favouring billionaires over residents and turning Venice into a place that puts tourists, and not its residents, at the centre of its politics.
'Venice is being treated like a showcase, a stage… And this wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders… Venice is now just an asset,' the BBC quoted Federica Toninelli, a 33-year-old Venetian activist, as saying.
The protesters have been demonstrating against the extremely hyped event since last week as as they gathered with signs that read 'No space for Bezos', put up banners against the billionaire from the bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore basilica and the Rialto Bridge.
In social media posts, they have urged people to join the protests and accused conservative Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro of treating city dwellers 'like a nuisance… because for him the only valid use of Venice is as a backdrop for events that make the rich richer.'
Next week, they plan to disrupt the wedding festivities by jumping into the canals to obstruct the water taxis and blocking Venice's narrow streets, to prevent the wedding guests from reaching the venue.
Meanwhile, Brugnaro is hoping that the stir do not dissuade Bezos and Sanchez from sticking to their plans. 'We will have to apologise to Bezos. I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters,' CNN has quoted Brugnaro as saying.
Luca Zaia, the head of the surrounding Veneto region, has termed the protests a disgrace. 'I want Jeff Bezos to be welcomed with open arms in Venice. Protesting against those who bring visibility and wealth to our territory is, in my opinion, a disgrace,' CNN has quoted him as saying.
Overtourism has been Venice's long-standing problem with the Unesco World Heritage city recording an average of 30 million footfalls each year, majority of them day-trippers, The Guardian reported. However, a new record was set last year with over 3.9 million visitors staying overnight in the city's historic centre.
The day-trippers are the tourists who visit the city for the day without staying overnight. They form a significant factor in the overtourism problem, as they contribute to the crowds and strain on resources, without contributing to overnight tourist taxes.
An experimental project to combat overtourism was launched last year by introducing a day-tripper fee of €5. This was extended this year too, while doubling the fee for the last-minute day-trippers — those booking their trip in the last three days before their journey. With this initiative aimed at deterring day visitors during busy periods, Venice became the world's first major tourist city to charge people for justing entering.
Efforts to combat overtourism have resulted in a 10-euro daytripper entrance fee on weekends and peak periods while more residents are pushed out every year due to a dwindling lack of services like schools, hospitals and affordable housing.
Even as the fee did little in terms of reducing the number of Venice's visitors, it did collected €2.4million for the city's coffers. Not losing hope, Venice authorities believe it would eventually help in reducing the number of tourist footfalls.
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