Venice Seeks to Limit Tour Groups and Ban Loudspeakers in Crowd-Control Effort

In an effort to fight mass tourism, the city of Venice is introducing restrictions on noise and walking groups.

The proposed legislation is expected to impact the historic center, where the world’s top art biennial is held, and the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello starting next June, according to a statement on the city’s website. The city council still needs to vote on the new regulations, which include limiting tour groups to less than 25 people and prohibiting the use of loudspeakers.

The provisions are “part of a broader framework of interventions aimed at improving and managing better tourism in Venice, thus guaranteeing a greater balance between the needs of those who live in the city, either as residents or as workers, and those who visit the city,” the city’s tourism councillor Simone Venturini said in statement.

These regulations come after Venetian authorities announced plans to charge a €5 admission fee to limit daytime visitors last year. In 2021, the Italian government approved a ban on large cruise ships entering the city’s historic center.

During the pandemic, the city saw a big financial loss, with 71.5 percent fewer tourists compared to an estimated 19 million visitors in 2019. Meanwhile, locals have also voiced concerns regarding the sustainability of the city’s tourism. When it added Venice to its list of endangered sites, UNESCO said the lagoon’s ecosystem, which continues to be greatly impacted by surging crowds, had become an issue.