Venice – the world’s great lagoon city – has for the past 20 years been at the forefront of the fight against overtourism; arrival numbers have surged, growing from 3.5 million in 2006 to 5.5 million in 2019. The pandemic doesn’t seem to have dampened the appetite to visit either, with numbers recovering to 4.7 million in 2022.
Tackling overtourism in the city has been the subject of years of debate, which – in the past five years – has led to concrete policies to curb mass tourism. These include trialling a €5pp (£4.30pp) entry fee for day tourists this year, and capping the maximum size of tourist groups at 25 – around half the size of a typical tourist bus.
Can Venice forge a new path for tourism that respects its past?
Destinations
Ilaria Grasso Macola
19 January 2024
After four decades of swelling tourist numbers, Venice is at a tipping point. The 30 million people who visit each year are vital to the city’s economy, but place huge demands on creaking infrastructure and centuries-old tourist attractions – not to mention the patience of the Venetian people and local authorities.
Overtourism protests have not dented bookings, according to Advantage (Credit: iStock)
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