Ca' Foscari Rector on Overtourism: Venice as Lab for Cultural Tourism

Tiziana Lippiello, sinologist and rector of Ca' Foscari University since 2020, and president of Eutopia European University since 2023, discusses the paradox of cultural tourism in Italy. She identifies key issues: concentration of flows in iconic monuments, superficial 'hit-and-run' tourism, imbalance between major destinations and lesser-known areas, and neglect of intangible heritage. Venice, as a global symbol of overtourism, can become a laboratory for alternative models. Lippiello advocates diversifying offerings to peripheral districts, the lagoon, and crafts; incentivizing repeat visitors; and using booking systems as tools for flow management. Ca' Foscari offers programs like EGArt (cultural management), ToMaS (international master on tourism as ecosystem), Master in Tourism Innovation, and Hospitality Innovation and eTourism (digital focus). The university plans to strengthen offerings with AI and sustainability. Lippiello cites Amsterdam and Barcelona for short-rental regulation and flow redistribution, Bilbao for culture-led urban regeneration, and Kyoto for intangible heritage and slow tourism, but stresses the need for an original Italian approach combining technological innovation with territorial authenticity.