Tourism Profile in Venice - Assignment Example

 TOUR AROUND VENICE, ITALY Tourism profile in Venice Venice is located on the northern part of Italy. Literature across the board has appraised and expressed the beauty of Venice. This is due to the sensual quality of the city which has been described as the city with streets of water. But truly speaking Venice has increasingly been dominated by tourist, artistic and romantic appropriation over the centuries. In actual fact tourists have associated the experience of Venice with that of Paris. To them, Venice is natural and provides a glimpse of real life. Venice as a tourist destination is quite the opposite of entertainment. Las Vegas for instance was built as an entertainment city but has gradually grown to a dwelling place contrary to Venice whose population has fallen to one third- making it to a city of about 68,000 inhabitants only. Besides artistic and architectural resources, the aquatic nature of Venice further supports its aesthetic appreciation. Unlike other cities, Venice is not surrounded by suburbs but instead is bordered by water. Sea born features such as lagoons is one of the factors that feature the city a tourist choice of destination. The city does not demonstrate plenty of modern technology unlike other major destination sites. Original buildings in the city were designed in light of the fact that the city is compounded by islands and surrounded by shallow water. Besides that, the onset of technology found the city already polarized with artistic works that could not be ruined as it holds the city’s historical image (Broos 2008). Lack of excessive presence of modernization and disturbing technologies gives the city a sense of wholeness and harmony. The written works around Venice portray two ideologies. First, the city is perceived as a cluster of mass-touristified intrusion, commercial, cultural heritage, architecture and art. The second ideology conveys the city as a sentimental place flirting with sunset at San Marco and singing Gondoliers. Mass tourism is not a new phenomenon for Venice. It has been a common destination for tourists around the world for hundreds of years. Due to masses of tourists visiting the city each year, many vetetians have been forced back to the mainland. Overcrowding transport systems and fully packed cafeterias, restaurants and shops is good indication of the high number of tourists in the city. Although tourism has always been perceived as a cultural intruder, Venice defies this argument considering massive and historical effects the phenomenon has left on Venice. Scholars and researchers maintain that the reason why the city has not experienced negative effects of tourism is due to its firmness on tourist offers. The city is a museum on its own and thus does not provide many opportunities for people to party. In fact, majority of the tourist are culturally oriented and educated and commonly referred to as “beach tourists” by critics of Venice. Art and tourism in Venice are intertwined as art was the major factor that established Venice as a tourism destination site. Venice is essentially a real city where real life is experienced. For instance, it is possible to see clothes hanging on the windows while walking on the streets. Venice has been called ‘the city where fans rule’. Fans of popstars and renowned individuals in the world manifest their idolatry openly by wearing t-shirts and even pasting posters on walls. According to Venetians, the city has the ability to cast a spell on its visitors. Due to its strong cultural affiliation, Venice has managed to lure many of its visitors into its native cultures; not just those with deficient cultural status but cynical thinkers also fall prey. Venice provides a wide range of experiences for its visitors and it is the task of the visitor to understand it fully so as to take full advantage of his/her trip. For instance, a sunny August afternoon in the midst of the busy kitsch market would not provide the best scene for the basilica of St. Marks. Therefore, someone in a hunt for architectural masterpieces would need to view them early in the morning or better still return during the cool silent periods of winter. Mobility is a key consideration by tourists. Thus modes of transport are increasingly becoming important in modern cities. Like other tourism cities, extra bridges, removable huts and stages are put in place with changes in season and during certain events. Public transport within Venice is impressive. This includes the city fed 20,000 gondoliers, water buses and uncountable trains reaching the city (Miskell et al 2008). Basic tourist information Venetians speak Italians and English although older Venetians prefer to speak in Venetian, their native language. However, most Venetians are quite adversant with Italian and easily lose interest while speaking with English speakers. Tourists are therefore advised to carry small phrase books around the city in order to decipher common words out of Italian mouths as well as menus in restaurants. The normal office hours in the city are between 8:30 am and 2:00 from Monday to Friday. However some of the shops operate until 4:30 pm. Venice experiences extreme weather patterns with summer temperatures ranging between 30-35 degrees Celsius and winter temperatures ranging from 0-3 degrees Celsius. Spring and autumn experience heavy rainfall with severe thunderstorms. The best tourism periods are April and October when temperatures are milder and warmer. Currency used in Venice is the Euro and they can be exchanged with other currencies in banks and post offices as these provide the best exchange rates in comparison to bureaux de change commissions. MasterCard and Visa are acceptable in most although not all shopping outlets and restaurants. Healthy foods and drinks are guaranteed in Venice. However, in case of any health complications, tourists can visit the major hospitals including Ospedale Umberto, Mester and Castello. The city is served by two main airports: Marco Polo, 12km from the city, and Treviso’s San Giuseppe, 30km from the city, airports. Orange buses transport people directly to the city and take around 30 minutes. There are however, shuttle buses that take 20 minutes to Venice but charge relatively more expensive as compared to the orange buses. For adventure, tourists can use ferries and water taxis from the airports to the city. Ferries are less expensive but take longer to arrive to the city in comparison to water buses. Tourists are discouraged to drive to Venice as no vehicles are allowed past Pazzale Roma. This would thus require them to find parking which is sometimes hard to find. The city connected to the main land and other Italian cities via trains. The main train station is Venezia Santa Lucia (Sans 2011). Venice is divided into six districts. The first is Cannaregio which is right at the entrance of the city and os populated with Venetain residents. It also host to the Santa Lucia Railway station. Castello is the largest district and is considered the fanciest of all the districts. Found in the district is the classy Riva degli Schiavoni which is bordered by one of the most magnificent grand canals in the region. Dorsoduro is another district found in Venice and is considered as the most quite. It is dominated by old churches and homes. Even so, being host to the university, the district lights up during night time and also on weekends with masses of activities in cafes and bars. San Marco is the central district found at the heart of the city. It offers the best destination for tourists as it is dominated by countless tourist attraction sites. San Polo district is a commercial district commonly known for the Rialto market as well as many shopping, banking and business outlets. One had to cross the Grand Canal in order to get to San Polo. Santa Croce is the most industrialized districts in Venice. It is however not habituated by many tourists (Whybrow 2010). Daily itinerary Couple B 30th August : The couple will arrive at the Marco Polo which is 12km from the city. The couple will make way to the Venice city via a ferry that connects Marco Polo Airport to the city. The ferry takes half an hour and makes stopovers at Murano and Lido. Alternatively they can use water taxis that also ferry people form Marco Polo to the city. However, they are relatively more expensive than ferries but they take a shorter time. Besides that, they are more comfortable as they hold a capacity of four people. I would recommend that they use a water taxi as this will not only be comfortable but will also save on time as it takes at most 30 minutes. The couples will make a stopover at Murano where the tour guide will be awaiting them. Murano has made history since 1291 as a paradise of glassmakers. The first destination in the island will be the Museo Vetraio, a glass museum. In adition to the conservative glass works, the museum showcases a variety of modern and contemporary art work made out of glass. Thereafter, we shall visit the Church of Saints Mary and Donato. They give a scenario of Murano glass in action. The structure was set up as a dedication to the Virgin Mary and contains magnificent pavements that date back from the 12th century. Immediately after the lunch, you shall head to Venice city via a water taxi. You will find two tour guides once you arrive at the city. Couple B will be driven to the Bauer hotel located at the heart of the city. What makes this hotel most favorable for the old couple is its strategic positioning. It is surrounded by most of all the local attractions such as Correr museum, Guggenheim museum and St. Mark Square, which might fascinate the visitors. Besides that, the hotel has a private water dock that the couple can enjoy while watching gondoliers which frequent the region during this summer season. By offering a wide range of business facilities, the hotel is mostly visited by business oriented people which therefore means that it offers a serine and quiet environment that would be favorable for an old couple. Thursday, 31st August : Breakfast will be served in the hotel. Charges for breakfast are included in the boarding fee which usually more than $320 depending on the type of suite. Immediately after breakfast, you will take an informative tour around the city. The first ride will be to St Mark square which is about 150 meters form the hotel. Bauer hotel is clearly at a strategic location as it is surrounded by major tourist sites. More specifically, the hotel targets tourists who are old or those who would not wish to move far from their hotel rooms. St Mark is one of the oldest and most famous squares in the world and offers a range of beautiful scenarios including the St. Marks Basilica and the beautiful gothic structure known as the Doge’s palace. In addition to that, the square is filled with pigeons that offer a good background for picture taking. You shall have time to walk around the Riva Degli Schiavoni which is close to San Marco. The walk is considered the best in Venice. The area is well known for sale of fish thus you will have the chance to eat fresh fish in one of the many restaurants around the area. Prices of fish in this area are lowest in the city as fish is readily available. You shall return back to the hotel room where dinner shall be served in the hotel’s terrace dining area which overlooks the Grand Canal. Friday, 1st September: After breakfast, you shall travel to the northern part of Venice starting from Santa Croce sesteire. This is a very important part of the city as it connects it to the mainland. In actual fact, one is able to see a view of the mainland while standing at the highest part of the area. You shall visit Church of San State which is the main attraction site in the area and serves host to museum of oriental art and museum of modern art. After that, you can a walk to the adjacent Campo San Polo which is one of the largest squares in Venice. While still enjoying the beauty of Campo San Polo, you can walk to the Rialto market which is one of the most exquisite places in the city. At that time, it will be almost lunch time and actually this will the most appropriate place to eat and drink. Santa Margherita has houses restaurants and pubs that sell food from Venetians conservative traditional recipes. After lunch you will travel to the Giudecca canal which is right opposite the Grand Canal. The island historically functioned as a prison. You will have the chance to enjoy the famous gianduiotto from ice cream parlor “Nico”. During diner you can find a typical trattoria in the area and eat. After diner, you can take a boat to cross to the Grand Canal and walk through it as you observe its magnificent splendor on your way back to the hotel. Saturday, 2nd September: Weekends in Venice can be quite overcrowded during weekends. In that case, it would be best to have a more relaxing experience rather than travelling around the city. After breakfast, you shall will guided to Lido where you can have a refreshing time soaking up in the sunshine on the famous beach strip. The beach provides a calm and quite environment and you can have ample time to talk about other things such as businesses back at home. You will also catch up with the other couple that came along with. After lunch, you can enjoy the joys of classical and opera concerts in one of the theaters. La opera house is particularly good as it has a good collection of performances for older groups of tourists. You can spend the rest of the Saturday evening enjoying some refreshments at the Vino Vino wine bar which is renowned for excellent selection of local and European wines. Sunday 3rd September: This is the day when the Regata Storica (historical Regatta), a charming and spectacular traditional festival, is usually held. The event is usually carried out during the month of September when the weather is calm and warm. You will basically spend the day whole day attending the day’s events. You can capture the events right at the comfort of the hotel as the celebrations take place at the water of the Grand Canal which is apparently adjacent to the hotel. The event begins with a historical procession of some of the historical boats since the 16th century. Once this is completed, boat competitions begin and might extend to late hours of the night. Viewers also get a chance to ride on the boats at reduced prices. Monday, 4th September: This day you need to get your bags and packed and ready because right after breakfast you will depart for the Brenta Riviera. It is an attractive and charming area found a few kilometers from Venice. It contains art work by some of the world most famous painters and architects such as Tiepolo and Palladio. On the way to Riviera, we shall make a stopover at the Mercantino dei Miracoli a market that sells crafts, arts and bric-a-brac. Prices of commodities in this market are relatively low as it is operated by native Venetians and located in a remote village. You shall thereafter spend the rest of the day touring major attractions in Riviera. Tuesday, 5th September: Right after breakfast you shall head to San Polo. The most fascinating part of the district is the Rialto Bridge. It is usually filled with hundreds of tourists. You can also explore the market which is made up of tiny shops and stalls selling everything that would appease the eyes of tourists. The market is actually aligned on the Rialto market so as to capture the attention of passing tourists. You shall visit the Frari church which is home to precious art works by Titians Assumptions, Canova’s funeral momentum and Bellini’s Madonna. You shall spend the evening hours of the day at the magnificent Lido di Jesolo beach. The beach has rows of sunbeds and night-time entertainment for tourists. What makes the beach fascinating and distinct is its safe, well-organized and safe environment. This is because it is quite some distance from the busy city activities (The Venice City guide 2005). Wednesday, 6th September: After breakfast, pack your bags and get ready for your flight back home. Couple A Wednesday, 30th August: The couple may opt to travel by air or by taking a train to Venice. There are direct flights from major cities in Europe to Venice. The airfares start from $650 USD. However, it is cheaper to take a train than direct flight. Indeed, by taking the train the couple will be able to enjoy a romantic trip before reaching Venice. Still, the couple will enjoy time together during the trip. Advanced tickets may be purchased at around $300 USD. The couple will reach Mestre and connect to Venice by bus. There is a bus that connects Mestre to Venice every 10 minutes. I would advise the couple to travel during the day rather than as the buses are less frequent at night. The couple will then reach Piazza San Marco by boat. Here, they will check in at the Hotel Cipriani. Hotel Cipriani is one of the favorite romantic hotels in Venice. It is one of the few recommended hotels that offer services at a friendly fee. As the couple will arrive in the evening, they will be able to enjoy a candlelit banquet outside on a garden terrace accompanied with soft piano music. After the romantic dinner, the couple may then retire to rest. This will assist them to be fresh the following day. Thursday, 31st August: Breakfast will be served early in the morning in the hotel. Charges are inclusive in the boarding room. Therefore, you will take breakfast at your pleasure. A tour guide will be waiting at the lounge after breakfast in order to brief you on the tour. The first site you will visit is the Rialto Bridge. This is one of the oldest bridges in Italy. Apart from connecting San Marco and San Polo across the Grand Canal, the bridge is found in the heart of the city. Indeed, the site is one of the top tourist attractions and you will enjoy time together as you ride a vaporetto, water bus, along the great Grand Canal. This will be followed by a light lunch at Ca’ Sagredo restaurant. It does offer car services from the town to the place. In the afternoon you will be able enjoy time together in the Rialto Market, doing shopping and exploring the large but lively and interesting food markets and little lively shops. In the evening, you will have a perfect and romantic tour in the city. A gondola ride will be an excellent ride in the city of Venice when one is accompanied by a special person. You will appreciate the breathtaking views and discover various attracting sites in the city together. This is perfect for a couple. Late in the evening, a candlelight dinner will be prepared at Antico Pignolo where you will be able to reflect the day’s activities as you take in pleasure of each company. Friday, 1st September: Immediately after breakfast, you will travel to Capri. A morning visit is perfect as a couple as hoards of tourist are not around. Therefore, it will offer a perfect place to discover things together in the morning. The moderate temperature throughout the year makes it an excellent place to visit year-around. You will be able to take pleasure in the beaches that cover the island, flowers, lemons trees and different species of birds. After lunch, you will get pleasure from Capri shopping together. Handmade sandals, perfumes and ceramics are specialties of the island. In addition, the vast shopping street will offer exclusive luxury boutiques and fashion shops. In the evening, a stroll in the beach will help you rejuvenate as you watch a breathtaking sunset in the island. You will later enjoy a movie before heading to your hotel. Saturday, 2nd September: After breakfast, you will catch a bus to Portofino. This is a stunning village of pastel colored houses that are surrounding a harbor that is half moon shaped lined with cafes, restaurants and luxury hotels. Indeed, it is described as one of the greatest seaside resorts and a favorite for the famous and rich in the old days. You will enjoy a whole day boating, diving and swimming together in a breathtaking place at a friendly fee. Hiking is also a favorite thing in the village. You will get to enjoy climbing the Castello Brown which is located in the hill overlooking the village. Indeed, it is a fantastic get away for a couple. Sunday, 4th September: Sunday, being a resting day for many, you may spend a day In Verona. You may travel by train as you enjoy the stunning sights of the country. A day spent at Juliet’s House, statute and balcony is an excellent one. Being a site of love, one may not dispute the fact that it is one of the must-visit sites for a couple. Traditional foods offered at the place will crown the day. Monday, 4th September: A visit to Lake Como will crown the day. A weekday is the best time to visit as it is less crowded as compared to the weekend. You will enjoy romantic hikes, water activities and boat trips. You will be entertained to traditional rowing races known as Palio Remiero del Lario. The races take place in the first week of September. In the evening, you may participate in the summer music performances around the lake (France 2012). Tuesday, 5th September: A visit in the Venice City would not be complete without a visit to Positano. It is a great luxurious and romantic place. You will be able to enjoy plenty of shopping in this place. It has great and recognized fashion label. You will enjoy shopping for footwear and sandals. Still, enjoy a lemon alcoholic drink, Limoncello (Marticn 2010). Wednesday, 6th September: After breakfast, you will have ample time to pack and catch a plane References Broos, J. 2008. Bridges of Venice, walking tours. New York: Wiley & Sons, Inc France, R. 2012. Veniceland Atlantis: the bleak future of the world’s favorite city, Journal of Heritage Tourism, Vol. 7: 3 Marticn, C. 2010. Environment: Venice’s fragile lagoon, Nature: International weekly journal of sciences Miskell, J, Luther, J, McGee, T & Lund, J. 2008. Life in the “City of water”. Venice: Worcester polytechnic institute. Sans, A. 2011. How Venice the world’s most touristed city is changing, European Urban and Regional Studies, Sage Journals The Venice City guide, 2005. Things to know. Venice: Netplan. Whybrow, N. 2010. Venice Topologies/ Sent to Coventry. Liminalities, Volume 6, No. 1. Read More