PORT PROFILE: VENICE C R U I S E RIPPLE EFFECT Get the lowdown on the Queen of the Adriatic
by the city’s regional court of appeal. Regulations banning big cruise ships and also limiting the number of vessels over 40,000 tons allowed to sail along the Giudecca Canal to the port were announced in 2013, to take effect in November 2014. The ban was overturned by an Italian
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court, then reinstated by the government, which fears that big ships are damaging Venice Lagoon’s ecosystem and the city’s historic buildings. Now the ban has been thrown out again, but a further appeal is expected. Not that it really matters right at this
f you are confused about the on-off ban on big cruise ships visiting Venice, join the queue. The ban on vessels over 96,000 tons has just been overturned for a second time, this time
moment, as cruise lines have already changed their schedules for this year and into 2016. They have deployed smaller ships in the Adriatic to take account of the ruling, which Venetians involved in tourism fear will have a detrimental effect on the local economy. Venice port registered some 548 cruise calls in 2013, together bringing in more than 1.8 million cruise passengers, according to MedCruise, which represents 70 ports in 20 countries. It makes it the third-busiest port in Europe and the 13th-busiest in the world. Most cruise traffic is driven by the city’s
attractions – the canals, gondolas and St Mark’s Basilica – but Venice is also popular with cruise companies because it has good air links with Europe and the US and numerous possible
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travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
February 2015 | Travel Weekly Cruise | 29
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