Venice bans cruise ships.

Each year, Venice attracts over 30 million tourists. While tourism generates revenue for the local budget, it has angered Venetian residents who believe the city has become congested and its environment is being negatively impacted.

Last June, a large ship collided with a smaller tourist boat along one of Venice's canals. The MSC Opera struck the Giudecca Canal pier after injuring five passengers on the smaller vessel. Around the same time, another tourist boat collided with a restaurant built alongside the canal bank.

The incidents have angered Venetians, who are demanding that authorities ban boats from the city center. They argue that the presence of the boats has reduced tourist numbers by approximately 30,000 during the peak summer months. Of the 60,000 tourists who visit Venice each day, less than half stay overnight.

Venice – once known as La Serenissima, or Serene One – also suffered significant damage in the past when the city's ancient wooden foundations were impacted by the prows of massive ships.

Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said that cruise ships will gradually be moved off their current routes. Over the next year, a third of the ships will dock at ports further away from cities, such as Fusina and Lombardia.

In June, Italy's National Conservation Fund declared that Venice should be added to the United Nations' list of endangered cities.

Mariarita Signorini, president of the Italia Nostra (Our Italy) foundation – an organization dedicated to protecting Italy's cultural and natural heritage – said cruise ships should be banned from the city's ports to prevent ecological disaster. Signorini stated: "Venice is unique, and we cannot allow the city to be further damaged than before."

Venice and its lagoon are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, but the Italian organization Nostra argues that unregulated tourism and environmental degradation pose a major threat to the city's survival.

In February 2019, city officials planned to introduce a reservation system so visitors could pay for entry before they arrived. Authorities said tourists – even those visiting Venice for only a few hours – would be charged an entrance fee of 2 to 5 euros, but potentially up to 10 euros during peak season.

By 2022, the city council hopes that most people visiting Venice will book their tickets in advance. This will allow the council to track and control the number of tourists.

In 2018, officials in Venice also proposed several ways to eliminate "culturally inappropriate" behavior from tourists. In September, Venice decided to ban tourists from sitting on the ground, with fines ranging from 50 to 500 euros.

Subsequently, local authorities considered banning tourists from carrying alcohol on the streets. This beautiful Italian city is reportedly considering fining anyone carrying alcohol after 7 p.m. – even if the alcohol is in a sealed shopping bag. The proposed ban comes after complaints from locals that tourists are constantly getting drunk in Venice's squares and public spaces.

Additionally, in early 2018, tourist-only routes to popular landmarks were introduced ahead of a weekend to keep tourists away from locals. These tourist-only routes were introduced for visitors to St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge. All measures were taken to help prevent the disruption of local life by tourism.

The Anh