Venice cruise ship ban won’t affect bookings

LARGE cruise ships
weighing 100 000
tonnes or more are to
be permanently banned from
the centre of Venice under
new rules to be introduced
within the next four years, but
industry players do not expect
it to affect bookings.
The ships will have to
use the industrial port of
Marghera. Venice Mayor,
Luigi Brugnaro, says the plan
answers the demands of
residents, tourism businesses
and conservation groups
concerned about damage to
the city’s shallow lagoons and
canals.
Jane Davidson, director of
Development Promotions,
says the ban makes sense
as the lagoons and canals of
Venice suffer from the weight
of ships. “There are groups
of people devoted to the
preservation of this delicate
city who would like to maintain
the picturesque landscape of
traditional gondolas and water
taxis,” she explains.
Jackie Adami, md of
Development Promotions,
doesn’t expect the ban
to affect bookings as
passengers will only need to
take a six-minute taxi ride to
the destination. “In Dubrovnik,
for example, the port is a
taxi ride away from the city,
but this isn’t a deterrent, as
passengers are visiting a city
and not a port.”
Work needs to be done
on the new route before it
is ready to take large cruise
ships, but this is expected
to be complete within four
years.