Published on June 5, 2024 at 17:10 GMT+1
Things are changing rapidly in Venice as the city tries to combat overtourism.
Travellers heading to Italy this summer should prepare for the latest crackdown by Venetian authorities in their bid to combat overtourism.
Venice is loved the world over as one of the most historic and unique cities on Earth.
There are no roads, only canals, and it is built across 100 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon off Italy’s northeast coast.
But with more than 60,000 tourists visiting Venice every day, the city is so congested there is little room for physical expansion to keep up with demand.
Venice already has a tourist tax, charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) per night.
Are you planning on staying overnight? No problem as the infrastructure is deemed to be able to accommodate your stay.
The fee, which is paid via a QR code system upon entry, will be introduced from April 25th and will apply to everyone aged 14 and over every weekend until Sunday, July 14th, between 8.30am and 4pm.
Venice has a tourism problem (Getty Stock Images)
Failure to pay could result in heavy fines, up to 300 euros (£234) if you cannot prove you have paid.
Authorities are conducting random spot checks on QR codes and exemptions, so don’t be fooled.
Money raised from the system will be pumped back into Venice’s infrastructure, including to prevent parts of it from sinking.
Now Venice is struggling to keep up with demand and is moving to further reduce tourist numbers.
New rules emerge (Getty Stock Images)
New rules introduced by local authorities mean that loudspeakers are banned throughout the city, as they are “likely to cause confusion and disturbance”.
In addition, restrictions were put in place on the number of tourists in the city, especially those allowed in groups.
Under the rules “to respect the fragility of Venice”, new limits on tour group sizes have been introduced, capping groups at 25 people.
What do you think about the new rules? (Getty Stock Images)
Both new rules will come into force on June 1st and also apply to the local islands of Burano, Murano and Torcello.
Sebastiano Costalonga, a member of Venice’s Chamber of Commerce, said: “The administration wants to establish precise rules to respect Venice’s fragility, traffic and coexistence with Venetian residents, but also to send a signal about the presence of unlicensed tourist guides. This new provision will ensure that unlicensed tourist guides will no longer be tolerated.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Europe, Travel, UK News, World News
