Venice and Charleston Face Shared Climate and Tourism Challenges: A Tale of Two Cities, Here’s All You Need to Know

Published on December 21, 2025

Due to climate change, two cities face an increasingly existential threat from rising seas, more frequent storms, and over-tourism: Venice and Charleston. Historically rich, beautiful, and both major tourist destinations, these cities try to strike the ideal balance between preserving their cultural and architectural heritage on one side, and pressures brought about by mass tourism and their being water-bound on the other.

Venice: A City at the Mercy of Rising Waters

Venice, the iconic floating city built on islands in the Venetian Lagoon, is one of the most at-risk cities in the world due to rising sea levels. On average, the global sea level rises by approximately three millimeters per year. However, in Venice, this rate is double, with six millimeters of rise annually. This rise is compounded by Venice’s ongoing subsidence— the gradual sinking of the city—due to its foundations built on sediment.

For centuries, Venice has been battling high water events, known as acqua alta, which often submerge large parts of the city. In 2019, the city experienced one of its worst floods in recent history, with water levels reaching over six feet, causing widespread damage. The historic St. Mark’s Basilica was flooded, and much of the city’s valuable heritage faced irreparable damage. Despite a multi-billion-dollar flood barrier project, called MOSE, designed to protect the city from rising tides, Venice continues to be vulnerable to frequent flooding.

Charleston: Facing a Future of Chronic Flooding

Similarly, Charleston, South Carolina, is experiencing its own challenges with rising sea levels and increased flooding events. The city’s coastal location, built on sand and mud with extensive waterways, makes it susceptible to regular flooding. According to projections, water levels in Charleston’s harbor could rise by about one foot by 2050, transforming today’s nuisance flooding into significant inundation. In fact, flooding events in Charleston are expected to occur up to 170 times annually by 2050, further damaging infrastructure and increasing the cost of living and tourism.

The Lowcountry’s unique geography and dependence on marshlands for protection means that the city, like Venice, is at the mercy of natural forces. However, unlike Venice, Charleston faces the additional challenge of storm surges that worsen flooding, particularly when hurricanes or severe weather hit. These events not only damage the city’s infrastructure but also threaten its historical buildings, many of which date back to the 18th century.

The Impact of Tourism on Both Cities

Tourism is a double-edged sword for both Venice and Charleston. While it provides a significant boost to the local economy, both cities are struggling with the consequences of mass tourism. In Venice, the overwhelming number of day-trippers has contributed to the degradation of the city’s infrastructure and has made it difficult for residents to maintain a high quality of life. With daily visitors sometimes exceeding 80,000, many locals have been pushed out of the city center due to rising costs and the encroachment of short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

Charleston, similarly, has seen a dramatic increase in tourism, which has transformed its downtown into a bustling area filled with tourists but also made it harder for residents to afford housing. The city’s historic district is a major draw for visitors, who come to admire its architecture, cuisine, and southern charm. However, the influx of tourists has led to rising costs, displacing long-time residents and creating a demographic shift.

In both cities, tourism’s financial benefits are undeniable, but the challenges of over-tourism and the need to balance growth with sustainability have become a focal point for local leaders.

Learning from Venice: Protecting Charleston’s Future

Both Charleston and Venice are learning from each other’s challenges in an effort to find viable solutions for their futures. Charleston’s former Chief Resilience Officer, Dale Morris, noted the critical importance of taking comprehensive action to protect the city from flooding, including the use of seawalls and other flood mitigation measures. The idea of a “head tax” or entrance fee, similar to Venice’s recent trial, has been discussed as a potential solution in Charleston to manage the tourism influx and fund infrastructure projects needed for flood protection.

Venetian officials, who have implemented policies like limiting group sizes and introducing entrance fees for tourists, have learned the hard way that managing the volume of visitors is essential. The entry fee trial in Venice was designed to encourage longer stays and help mitigate the impact of mass tourism. While there were some challenges in its implementation, it proved that tourism fees could provide the necessary funds to maintain and protect the city, as well as to educate visitors about its fragility.

In Charleston, local leaders are beginning to explore similar strategies, looking at how tourism can be sustainably managed while ensuring that the city’s cultural and historical heritage is preserved for future generations.

Future Planning: Collaboration and Innovation

As both cities face the impacts of climate change and the pressures of tourism, they are looking to collaborate with experts in urban planning, engineering, and sustainability. In Venice, the MOSE project offers some hope, but experts acknowledge that it may not be enough to address the city’s long-term needs. In Charleston, projects like restoring marshlands, building oyster reefs, and incorporating more green spaces into urban planning are gaining traction as ways to protect the city from flooding.

For both Venice and Charleston, the solution lies in creating comprehensive, forward-thinking plans that combine flood mitigation, sustainable tourism practices, and community engagement. The growing focus on “qualified tourists” in Venice, who are willing to learn about the local culture and contribute positively to the city’s economy, could be a model for Charleston to adopt.

A Shared Future in the Face of Rising Waters

Venice and Charleston are two historic cities facing enormous threats due to rising sea levels and tourism. Though the rising water levels pose threats to the future of these cities, with effective planning and cooperation on an international platform, there are opportunities available to them to successfully survive and even thrive in the future. There are many things that can be learned from one another’s experience and help create a brighter future in which locals and tourists can live and thrive in these cities together.