[eng] This thesis is based on a review of sources which allow to trace the
transformation of Venice over the last decades: from a traditional tourist
destination to a mecca of mass tourism and finally to a ghost town during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The boom in tourism brought economic growth and greater
prosperity, but was accompanied by negative consequences which resulted,
among others, in a population decline. Warnings from UNESCO and citizen
protests regarding mass tourism and cruise traffic have pushed politicians to
develop strategies for a better management of tourist flows, some of which have
already been realized. Since February 2020, Venice has been facing a
completely different situation: the drastic decrease in the number of tourists, due
to the travel restrictions in response to COVID-19, strikes at the heart of the local
economy and demonstrates how dangerous dependence on tourism can be. The
crisis, however, presents an opportunity to reflect on the future of Venice. One
approach would be to change the image of Venice so that mass tourism is
replaced by quality and slow tourism, which would improve life quality for locals
and might stop and reverse the process of Disneyfication and population decline.