Venice Sets Rules to Counter Over-tourism

In Venice, new regulations to counter over-tourism have been introduced, with tour groups limited to 25 people and loudspeakers banned.

From Saturday, tour groups will not be able to exceed 25 people in Venice and the nearby islands of Burano, Murano, and Torcello.

All loudspeaker systems are equally out as it ‘leads to confusion and disturbances’.

The measures were announced in December by the Italian canal city, which was swamped by more than 13 million visitors in 2019 before international tourism dried up during the pandemic.

By April, the city began to decrease the number of tourists for the summer, a process that began with a €5 per day visitor fee.

Last year, the number of tourist beds exceeded the number of official residents for the first time, with fewer than 50,000 now living in the historic centre of Venice.

The person responsible for the city’s security, Elisabetta Pesce, said last year the previous regulations were “based on the best management of groups organised in the historic centre”.

Last year, UNESCO declared a warning that Venice will be added to a list of world heritage sites in danger due to over-tourism and climate change, which is inevitable and may even help, according to them.

Venice’s concerns should have been addressed through an anti-flooding system and steps to lessen the impact of mass tourism, according to the UN Cultural Council, which should have placed Venice on the list.

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