VENICE has now banned cruise ships from entering the historic city centre after a decades-long battle. The Mayor of Venice had previously asked Unesco to put the city on a “blacklist” following a cruise ship crash in June.

Venice has banned cruise ships from entering the city, it has been announced. Cruises are set to be diverted away from existing routes under news plans.
Venetians have long-criticised the presence of cruise ships in the historic lagoon city in Italy, claiming it damages Venice’s foundations and ruins the skyline.
The northern Italian destination attracts an estimated 20 million tourists each year, with tens of thousands arriving by cruise ship. Fewer than 30,000 tourists who come to visit the world-famous city during the day stay the night – less than half on the 60,000 who flock to Venice every day.
Locals have battled for cruise ships to be banned, taking to the city’s canals in protest at the enormous vessels clogging the waterways and proving a hazard.
Italy’s minister of transport Danilo Toninelli has said cruise ships in Venice would gradually be moved away from current routes, reported the Financial Times.
In the future, cruise ships will dock at a new location that will be decided on by public consultation. Venues under consideration are Chioggia, at the mouth of the lagoon, and Lido San Nicolo, a ferry terminal on the Adriatic side.