The "Davos Effect": Tarnishing the Reputation of Places Not by Overtourism But by Oligarch Infestation
It is difficult to totally escape this subject. A lot of the so-called 'tech' media got infested or overtaken by chatter about weddings (and sometimes protests). This article is not about weddings.
The first time I was in Davos was about 30 years ago. Back then Davos was a quiet ski resort (I took a snowboarding coach) and it was not associated with oligarchs - not to the same extent that it is now. Nowadays anytime a person says "Davos" it rhymes with "elites" or something to that effect. The World Economic Forum really took off and became a global phenomenon - or a subject of widespread scorn - just over 20 years ago.
Now let's talk about Venice. The 'city' (or Republic of Venice with the Venetian language) is known for all sorts of special and unique things, even products like Venetian blinds. The reputation of the city is very important and if the place becomes overcrowded, then people will start saying bad things. Same if the place gets associated with "Gold Diggers".
The name of the city has become an asset, even a treasure. There's "The Venetian Las Vegas" and "The Venetian Macao", for example. Seeing the Venetian Lagoon and various scenic sites, other places tried to "borrow" this location's name, which brings Geographical Indicators (GIs) to mind. Is Venice enforcing GIs?
Let's hope Venice can protect its name from American robber barons. We want to hear of the Venetian Festival, Venetian glass and all those other things.
The last Venice needs is an affiliation with Venetian oligarchs. █
Photo credit: Kent Wang from Barcelona, Spain
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