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Italy: Venice bans large tourist groups and loudspeakers

December 30, 2023

Venice officials are imposing new rules on groups of visitors coming to the popular lagoon city, aiming to curb negative effects of mass tourism.

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A group of tourists enjoying a scenic gondola ride through the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy
Groups of more than 25 people will be banned in Venice's historical core from June 2024Image: Pond5 Images/IMAGO

The city of Venice will ban tourist groups consisting of more than 25 people and will outlaw loudspeakers — which can "generate confusion and disturbances" — on such tours, the city council decided on Saturday.

The new rules also prevent stopping at narrow streets, bridges or places of passage. They are set to take effect on June 1.

The changes are part of the authorities' effort to limit mass tourism and its negative effects on the northern Italian lagoon city.

The rules apply to the city center and the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. They are aimed to protect residents from noise and nuisance, the cuty council said in a press release.

Mass tourism has been causing problems for Venice — one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world — for many years.

UNESCO recommends putting Venice on endangered heritage list

The historic center with the famous Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge and the many canals no longer has even 50,000 permanent residents.

On some days during the high season, visitors outnumber the locals by more than two to one.

In September, local officials decided to charge an admission fee of €5 ($5.50) for short-term visitors from April 2024.

In a report published in summer 2023, the UN cultural agency UNESCO pointed at over-tourism and over-development as some of the major threats to the Italian hotspot, with a growing number voices calling for the city to be placed on  UNESCO's list of heritage sites in danger.

Restricting tour groups to less than 25 people and the ban on loudspeakers will contribute to sustainable tourism, said Elisabetta Pesce, Venice's city councilor for security.

mds/dj (AP, DPA)