For the next four days, from April 28 to May 1, emergency measures will be in effect in Venice to regulate crowds in the city center. A statement regarding this was published on the official website of the City Hall.
It is reported that mass protests will take place in the city this coming weekend. Events to mark the May 1st celebration of Festa del Redentore (Labor Day) have been held. For safety reasons, local authorities have decided to separate crowds in the city center. Special routes will be organized for tourists visiting Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, Piazzale Roma, Santa Lucia Station, and Strada Nuova. Only local residents and Venezia Unica card holders will be able to travel around the city without restrictions.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stated that emergency measures of this kind will be adopted for the first time in Italy. They are merely an "experiment." However, if successful, they could be implemented on other dates, the mayor added.
Mass tourism in Venice has become a global problem for locals. In 2016, protests against the influx of tourists took place in the city. On Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018, the number of tourists in the city reached 125,000, 2.5 times the city's population. Venice is not the only place in Europe experiencing overtourism. The Greek island of Santorini and the Croatian resort of Dubrovnik recently imposed restrictions on the number of incoming tourists.
Source: news.turizm.ru