Protests planned as first cruise ship in 17 months arrives in Venice

Cruise ship MSC Orchestra arriving in Venice.

A cruise ship arrived in Venice yesterday for the first time in 17 months, signalling the return of tourists after the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic but enraging those who decry the impact of the giant floating hotels on the world heritage site. The MSC Orchestra arrived empty from the Greek port of Piraeus and will pick up about 650 passengers tomorrow, before heading south to sample the delights of Bari, Corfu, Mykonos and Dubrovnik. The numbers on board are limited by coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions to a fraction of the ship’s usual 3,000 capacity, while all passengers must show negative tests before joining the cruise. However, their presence in Venice is proving no less controversial than it was before the pandemic, with two demonstrations planned for tomorrow – one in support of the cruise ship, one against. Environmental protesters warn the large waves caused by the cruise ships are eroding the foundations of the buildings in Venice, which with its lagoon are designated a Unesco heritage site. Celebrities and cultural figures including Mick Jagger, Francis Ford Coppola and Richard Armstrong, director of the New York’s Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, this week called for an end to the passage of large ships through the lagoon. In an open letter to the Italian government calling for a range of measures to better protect the city, they warned the historic site risked being “swept away” by the ships. Compiled by the Venetian Heritage Foundation, the letter also urged an end to mass tourism that “wears it out”. Italy’s government announced in March that cruise ships would no longer sail past Venice’s iconic St Mark’s Square and dock in the historic centre, but instead be diverted to the city’s industrial port. However, the infrastructure is not yet in place for this to happen.