• Venice plans to limit the tourist groups to 25 people.
• Excessive tourism is a pressing concern for Venice.
• In September, the city agreed to test a daily fee of €5 for visitors.

The city plans to ban the loudspeakers and limit tourist groups to a maximum of 25 people.

The problem of excessive tourism is acknowledged as a pressing concern for Venice, which is among the most popular destinations in Europe. In September, the city agreed to test a daily fee of €5 (approximately £4.30 or $5.35) for visitors.

Elisabetta Pesce, the official with responsibility for the city’s security, said the latest policies are “aimed at improving the management of groups organized in the historic center”.

Venice, a small city covering just 7.6 square kilometers (2.7 square miles), welcomed nearly 13 million tourists in 2019. With tourism expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, concerns are rising among residents, leading many to leave due to fears of the city being overwhelmed by visitors.

In response to this issue, citizen associations in Venice initiated studies in April to monitor the availability of beds for both tourists and residents. According to the latest update from one of these associations, Ocio, the number of beds for tourists has now exceeded 50,000, surpassing the accommodations available to locals.

In 2021, a significant step was taken to address environmental concerns, as large cruise ships were banned from entering Venice’s historic center through the Giudecca canal following a ship collision. Critics had long contended that these ships were contributing to pollution and causing damage to the city’s foundations, already vulnerable to regular flooding.

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