Venice Mayor wants identity of canal diving visitor and power to tackle problem tourism

The mayor of Venice has called for help to identify the ‘subject’ of a video who was recorded diving from a second story roof into a canal.

On Saturday mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he wanted the name of the mystery diver, so he could personally deliver him a “certificate of stupidity”.

Although the identity and nationality of the men in the stunt was not known, Brugnaro has made finding them a personal mission and part of his crackdown against problem tourists.

The mayor said that the diver and his filming accomplice below were the subject of an investigation.

“They don’t understand the danger they create in this city. What if a boat would have been passing below?

“We need to give more real powers to Mayors against vandals,” said Brugnaro.

This incident comes not a year after a previous campaign by the mayor to track down tourists filmed surfing the Grand Canal.

The Australian visitors were identified and fined €1,500 each, with their equipment confiscated by the city.

Although Brugnaro has called for more means for tackling antisocial tourists, the politician at the heart of one of the world’s most visited cities already has invested considerable effort for combatting the issue.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has a personal vendetta against problem tourists. Photo / Andrew Medichini, AP

Venice’s tourist surveillance powers

Fines, tourist taxes and visitor registration are part of a growing arsenal in the city’s war against problem tourists.

In 2021, a new surveillance system being installed by the city turned heads. The island city has invested millions in cellphone tracking beacons and cameras to monitor crowds.

Software would used to give a snapshot of visitor details - including sex, age and country of origin - every 15 minutes.

It was a hard sell for the city which is famous for Venetian masks and discreet rendezvous.

At the time Brugnaro said he expected the new network of 468 to be unpopular but would be necessary.

The mayor said he had “a duty to make this city liveable for those who inhabit it and also for those who want to visit.”

The promised roll out of this surveillance network in the renaissance city has been much delayed.

A day tax, which was set to come into effect in September this year, has been pushed back until 2024.

Pre pandemic the city’s mayor made an impassioned case for more powers to tackle problem tourism.

The city which sees 25 million visitors a year was drowning under the weight of visitors. There was definitely no place for tourists who felt like swimming in the canals or other forms of antisocial behaviour.

“Venice must be respected and those rude [visitors] who think they come to the city and do what they want must understand that, thanks to the girls and boys of the local police, they will be taken, sanctioned and removed,” said Mr Brugnaro.