I’ve been writing for several months about No Grande Navi – a protest group in Venice that did successfully get law passed to limit the size of ships allowed through the canal. While the new law is a great first step, the citizens are still protesting the ships docking anywhere in the lagoon.
Small ship vs Big ship – which would you rather see in port?
The fight continues in other major ports. Key West requested to widen the cruise channel to allow access for larger ships – residents said no! Preservationists in Charleston, S.C. are trying to block plans for the downtown terminal. Cities from around the world are trying to work together internationally to send a combined message to the cruise industry: your ships are too big! Tourism is important, and the ports understand the need for ships to visit their towns. But there’s a difference between a ship that brings in a thousand passengers at once, and a ship that dumps 5,400 passengers for a couple hours. And if your port is full of a dozen ships that tower over the city, are you really seeing Venice?
Read more about the continued fight against the big ships here.