Italy’s transport minister announced that Venice will ban all cruise ships from entering the city center.The announcement comes after years of anti-tourism protests and petitions.
However, this doesn’t mean that cruise ship passengers won’t be able to see the city any more. They’ll just have to get to it a bit differently.All ships weighing more than 55,000 tons will no longer have access to Giudecca Canal, which cuts through the city next to the historic St. Mark’s Square.
Large ships will instead have to dock at Marghera, an industrial port of the historic city center. The government hopes to implement the new route within 4 years.
Earlier this year, the city banned new hotels in the historic center and limited the number of restaurants that could sell pizza by the slice, kebab or other fast food.The government is also promoting attractions in lesser-visited parts of town, implementing a “locals first” policy on water taxis and installing people-counters at the most popular tourist attractions.