Venice Campaign to Tackle Over-Tourism

Over-tourism has been a serious issue for Venice for a long time.  

The Venetian authorities recently unveiled a campaign, as too much tourism has taken its toll on infrastructure and daily life of the residents.

Therefore, tourism authorities have urged visitors to behave appropriately in a city, which is struggling to cope with the influx of visitors and where locals are at boiling point over their home being used as a global playground.

Paola Mar, the councilor responsible for tourism, announced that a campaign called #EnjoyRespectVenezia will be launched for the summer crush. Transgressors will be fined from $29 to $584. The visitors will be requested and reminded not to swim in canals, make picnic stops out of public areas, pause too long on bridges, drop litter, ride bikes through the city or sightsee in bathing suits–all of which are manifestations of the same phenomena.

The new campaign has been in the planning for a long time. Termed “behavioral campaign”, the authorities will declare 12 golden rules, which are both prohibitory and encouraging in nature. The campaign will be launched in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English and Korean.

In the meantime, the largest island in the lagoon, the Lido, is embarking on a sustainable tourism initiative.