Tale of two worlds: Kenya begs for more visitors as Venice suffers from overtourism

When William Shakespeare wrote the play, Merchant of Venice between 1596 and 1598, he may not have thought of how the Italian resort would resonate with global tourism 400 years later. The play may have portrayed the Elizabethan English but the choice of Venice as the setting was not by accident. 

Venice was by then a commercial hub known for its wealth and commercial attributes. It was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe due to its strategic location within the Mediterranean region where goods from all over the world were traded. 

A couple of days ago,  Venice was at the centre of yet another glamorous event that sent ripples on the global entertainment world. It was not a stage play this time, but Venice was staging what could be termed as the wedding of the century. 

Jeff Bezos, the world’s third richest man was marrying his sweetheart, Lauren Sanchez. Bezos, 61, and former news anchor, Sanchez, 55, tied the knot and entertained their 200 guests in what some pundits stated was a “cheap wedding”, going by the couple’s financial status. 

The wedding cost between $47 million and 56 million (between Sh6.1 billion and 7.2 billion) which is equivalent to 0.02 per cent of Bezo’s net worth, estimated at $244 billion or Sh31.7 trillion. 

But there was more in Venice than the cost of the wedding and the A list of attendees. As the guests were clanking champagne glasses, residents were causing a ruckus in the background, voicing their concerns over what is now being termed as “tourismphobia”. 

Local residents who were interviewed complained of “privatisation” of their city that was being taken over by foreigners. 

“Let’s make sure that Venice is not remembered as a postcard venue where Bezos had his wedding but as the city that did not bend to oligarchs,” Na Haby Stella Faye told The Travel publication. 

The city of canals is among urban centres in Europe where tourists are not wanted, a contrast of sorts to the global south, Kenya included, where the more visitors, the merrier. 

Despite the hiking of local prices, Venice, a city of 50,000 residents, attracts close to 30 million visitors annually, and locals feel this will have adverse effects on local infrastructure and make the city more prone to flooding. With architecture that dates back to the 5th Century, the city’s success seems to be its downfall. 

“The city of Venice and the lagoon settlements have retained their original integrity of the built heritage. The exceptionally high tourism pressure on the city of Venice has resulted in a partial functional transformation in Venice and the historic centres of the Lagoon,” states Unesco. 

The city and surrounding infrastructure were added as World Heritage Sites in 1897 with recent calls to add the city to the list of the world heritage sites in danger. Venice is made up of 100 islands, connected by 400 bridges and canals where gondolas ply. Its historical importance can be compared to Kenya’s Lamu archipelago. 

 While Venice has no qualms rejecting tourists, Kenya is pulling all stops to have at least five million visitors by 2027, “an ambitious goal”, according to the 2023-2027Strategic Plan for the State Department for Tourism. 

The plan, according to Tourism cabinet secretary Rebecca Miano, aims to double the sector’s direct contribution to GDP from four percent to eight per cent while increasing inbound earnings from Sh352.54 billion to Sh824 billion by 2027. 

“The plan focuses on enhancing tourism promotion initiatives, diversifying tourism products, expanding target markets, and enhancing destination competitiveness through enhancing and enforcing quality standards in tourism hospitality, capacity development,” writes Miano in the plans’ foreword. 

According to the plan, however, several challenges have prevented the country from reaping the full benefits of tourism. The sector, according to this plan, has relied heavily on the ‘bush and beach’ product where coastal and inland wildlife safaris have been oversold over the years, resulting in run-down facilities. 

“The quality of the beach and safari product has been declining over the years due to dilapidated tourism sites, poor perception of safety and cleanliness at the beaches and parks as well as environmental concerns,” the plan states. 

In addition, poor digitisation of tourism processes, weak governance structures, and competing interests between the national and county governments were also cited as hindrances to the full development of the country’s tourism product. 

Regionally, destination Kenya faces stiff competition from Tanzania despite Kenya’s strategic location within the continent. 

Either way, it will be a long shot before Kenya can have the ‘First World problems’ of overtourism like those of Venice.