The two UNESCO cities will cooperate on finding ways to tackle the challenges of tourism together.
Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of Venice, and Split Mayor Andro Krstulović-Opara and his associates met at the Venetian city government headquarters – Ca Farsetti palace near the Gran Canale. In a cordial conversation, they opened many common topics and talked about future cooperation between the two cities, reports Dalmacija News on October 11, 2018.
The most important topic of Thursday’s meeting was certainly managing their communities, especially in light of the further development of sustainable tourism. Venice and Split are cities on the UNESCO World Heritage list that are both faced with the phenomenon of high-powered tourism, which opens up numerous challenges and makes life difficult for inhabitants living in the city’s core. Venice’s successful program #EnjoyRespectVenezia, inspired by many tourists and visitors, is derived from the community in Venice and is a model that has been taken over by other major tourist cities such as Florence, Rome, and Dubrovnik.
Similarly, the town of Split and Mayor Andro Krstulović-Opara have been working intensively for the past several months on a series of measures aimed at making life easier for the people of Split, the sustainable development of tourism and keeping the population in the city center.
Legal regulations and measures, and relations with the county, regional and central authorities on this matter are of great importance, Brugnaro and Krstulović Opara agreed and exchanged their experiences.
During Thursday’s meeting, the mayors agreed on the cooperation between the two cities in the fields of economy, science, education, culture, and sport. Proposals for exchanges of school children from Split and Venetian schools were accepted, as well as cooperation on nautical tourism, shipbuilding, and fisheries. They will also work on connecting the universities of Venice and Split. To begin cooperating, the Venice and Split Mayors agreed on more frequent visits and conversations.
