by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:15 AM ET, Tue September 27, 2016
On Sunday, a group of protestors in Venice used small boats to demonstrate against massive cruise ships which are now permitted to pass through the Italian tourist destination's canals.
According to Reuters.com, protestors in the Venice canals waved banners which read "No Big Ships," sounded horns and lit colored flares as a Thomson Celebration cruise ship passed through the central Giudecca canal to the international cruise ship terminal.
The demonstrations are part of an organized effort by residents in Venice and environmentalists who are concerned that an increase in cruise ship traffic could cause damage to the popular tourist destination.
On the other hand, local authorities in Italy and cruise line officials say the increased traffic by the massive vessels will bring in more visitors to the region and add thousands of jobs to the local economies.
Legislation was put in place in 2013 banning ships of more than 96,000 tonnes from crossing the Giudecca canal, and limiting smaller ships from using the canal to five a day. The legislation was overturned at the end of 2015, though.
As for the Thomson Celebration cruise ship that dealt with protestors on Sunday, the vessel measures only 33,000 tonnes, making it one of the smaller ships to pass through the canal on a daily basis.
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