VENICE – Fresh rules by the Italian authorities banning loudspeakers and limiting tour group sizes to 25 people have come into force in Venice.
The official version implies that the directives have been issued to limit the impact of over-tourism on the Italian city which is amongst Europe’s most visited places.
The development comes months after Venice imposed a €5 (£4) daily entry fee, after initially banning cruise ships from docking in 2021.
Venice has a modest population of around 250,000 people but the footfall of visitors was more than 13 million in 2019. Though the measures decreased the number of incoming tourists, their number is expected to see a spike in the coming years as the social distancing protocols have been lifted.
The changes to tourism rules come after Venice was lucky enough to avoid placement on Unesco’s World Heritage in Danger list.
The UN´s cultural organization said last year that it had stopped short of placing Venice on the list as the participants at the annual meeting in Riyadh decided against a downgrade.
The Italian city has been under Unesco’s watch because of mass tourism and rising water levels and garnered headlines after it was reported that the agency was exploring options to place it on the list.
Commenting on the development, Italy´s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said it was “a great victory for Italy and for common sense”.
On the other hand, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Unesco’s Director of World Heritage said the city is in danger from rising water levels, attributed to climate change, and excessive numbers of tourists.
Italian counter-measures had been deemed “insufficient”, he said.
The United Nations experts have also warned that Italy’s Venice remains under serious threat, despite the efforts put in by the administration to preserve the fragile ecosystem. Though Venice has taken multiple steps including banning cruise ships from its lagoon and building sea walls to keep out high tides, the initiatives do not seem appealing to the experts.
In line with the same concerns, the United Nations’ culture body, UNESCO, proposed in a released document to include Venice and its lagoon on its World Heritage in Danger list.
The UNESCO list, which includes 55 endangered sites from across the world, is aimed at increasing conservation, according to the agency, and including a site on the list commits the United Nations to develop a plan of corrective measures jointly with local authorities and then oversee the implementation.
Italy is frequented by visitors and its captivating city Venice offers numerous must-visit spots for tourists. One can stroll through St. Mark’s Square, home to St. Mark’s Basilica and Campanile and glide on a gondola through enchanting canals.
