Tajani hails 'international success' for Venice at UNESCO

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 15 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday the government would continue to work to relaunch cultural heritage and tourism in Italy after the UN's education, science and culture agency (UNESCO) decided not to include Venice on its World Heritage in Danger list.
    "At UNESCO, thanks to the teamwork of the Italian government and Venice, we have achieved an international success for the lagoon city," said Tajani on X.
    "We will continue to work for a strong relaunch of cultural heritage and tourism in Italy," he added.
    On Thursday at a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee agreed unanimously not to include Venice on its 'blacklist' of endangered World Heritage Sites.
    The decision came after UNESCO in July recommended that the lagoon city be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger on grounds Italy was not doing enough to protect the city from the climate crisis and mass tourism.
    It "is demonstration that all the efforts we are making, at every institutional level, to safeguard Venice have been recognised, and that the proposal (to include the city) in the list of endangered sites was very political and not very technical," said Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro.
    "I am delighted to learn that Venice will not be included in UNESCO's list of endangered sites and, like every other Italian, I rejoice at this extraordinary result, which rewards the commitment of the Government, the Veneto Region and the City of Venice, who have worked together to win a difficult game," said Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè. "However, this must not reduce our efforts to protect a city that is an open-air monument," she continued.
    "We will continue to work to promote an increasingly accessible and sustainable tourism, in line with the industrial vision we have drawn up for the sector," concluded the minister. (ANSA).