UNESCO has recommended that one of Italy's most popular and vulnerable tourist attractions be added to its heritage danger list.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation has urged the Italian government to "ensure the utmost dedication" to addressing "long-standing problems" in Venice, which has long struggled with overcrowding and the consequences of climate change, reports CNN.
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The proposal to add Venice to the ‘World Heritage in Danger’ list was made by UNESCO and advisory body experts in the agency's preliminary agenda ahead of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September, it said.
According to the draft resolution, there has been no "significant level of progress in addressing the persistent and complex issues related in particular to mass tourism, development projects, and climate change."
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Venice is one of 1,157 World Heritage Sites that have "outstanding universal value" because of their cultural or natural features, said the report.
In recent years, Venice has dealt with a whirlwind of weather-related issues.
Back in February this year, the city was experiencing such severe drought that gondolas, water taxis, and ambulances were unable to cross through several canals. Flooding was so severe in November 2019 that historical relics and structures were threatened, added the report.
Overtourism has long been a problem in Venice, and UNESCO cited some measures to counteract it, such as a prohibition on big ships entering the San Marco Basin - Giudecca Canal.
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According to SkyTG24, the municipality of Venice stated that it “will carefully read the proposed decision published by the Center for Unesco’s World Heritage Committee and will exchange views with the government, which is the State Party with which UNESCO interacts.”
CNN contacted the Italian Culture Ministry, which stated that no remark on the UNESCO recommendation had been issued. It also contacted the Italian Tourism Ministry and the City of Venice, but neither had answered as of Monday evening, the report concluded.