Locals unite in protest, saying the massive number of visitors to the Unesco-listed city are ruining it, writes Elizabeth Sleith Hundreds of locals took to the water in Venice this week to protest against the waves of cruise-ship visitors and the destruction - environmental, aesthetic and cultural - they say they are bringing to their sinking city.Members of Comitato NO Grandi Navi, a group campaigning against the behemoths that flock there, chanted and waved flares as they rode in gondolas and small boats to prevent cruise ships from passing through the lagoon.Furious residents of the Unesco-listed city say the ships - which, during peak season, disgorge around 30,000 passengers a day - are ruining their home.story_article_left1Furthermore, they say tourists in general are crowding their narrow alleys, spoiling the city's charm and pricing them out of their homes.Their particular beef with the cruise ships seems to have to do with their all-inclusive packages, meaning the massive numbers of tourists they bring don't spend much money on food or drinks.Marco Caberlotto, a member of the campaign group Generation 90, told the Guardian this week, "At least the tourists in the hotels are easier to manage, and bring richness to the city."Most people just want to take a selfie in St Mark's Square before they go back to their ships."Cruise operators, however, say their boats create little damage to Venice's fragile buildings and reckon about 5000 families in Venice are supported by the tourism they bring.Cruise Lines International Association, the industry body, says it is urging the Venetian authorities to find a solution, adding that it already self-imposes a ban on the biggest ships. It also points out the economic benefits of cruising to the region.Around 22 million tourists visit Venice each year. While the number of tourists to the city rises every year, the number of inhabitants is indeed dwindling.Venice's population hit a new low of 55,000 this year - down from 164,000 in 1931 - as locals flee high rents or find themselves being pushed out to make way for tourist accommodation or Airbnb apartments.The latest tally on daily visitors, 60,000, means there are more tourists than locals in the city on any given day.Last year, Unesco added Venice and its lagoon to its list of world heritage sites in danger of damage as a result of the effects of tourism.full_story_image_vleft1It said "the capacity of the city, the number of its inhabitants and the number of tourists is out of balance and causing significant damage" to the city.It's not the first time Venetians have tried to block cruise ships from entering the port. In 2013, hundreds of locals went swimming in the famous Giudecca Canal to get in the way of the ships.And last month, more than 500 locals marched through the streets with shopping trolleys and prams, chanting "Watch your legs, I'm coming through with a trolley" in Venetian dialect.And in August, an anonymous group plastered posters on walls in the city, reading: "Tourists Go Away! You Are Destroying This Area."..