Loudspeakers and large tour groups banned in Venice

Loudspeakers and large tour groups banned in Venice

• Visitors to Venice during peak periods now have to pay a £4-a-day tourist tax
• City officials claim the fee is designed to control the numbers coming to the city

City chiefs in Venice have introduced strict new rules to control the number of visitors entering the UNESCO protected Italian city famous for its waterways.

Tourists entering Venice currently have to pay a £4-a-head tax for visiting, while large cruise ships have been banned from entering the port.

Now, officials have blocked the use of loudspeakers by those organising tour groups, while numbers on an individual tour have been capped at 25.

It is believed these new restrictions will reduce the impact of over-tourism.

There are approximately 250,000 people living in the region although only approximately 60,000 live in the Renaissance city itself.

Massimo Cacciari, who was mayor of the city from 1993 until 2000 and 2005 to 2010, stressed that tourists already 'pay for everything' and that he would 'invite everyone not to pay' the €5 (£4.30) fee as it comes into effect on Thursday.

He noted that day visitors already pay 'three times as much as residents' for public transport in the city, and that travellers all contribute to the longevity of Venice's restaurants and museums.

In scathing remarks, Cacciari added that he would 'love to see' city authorities 'justify in a court the legitimacy of imposing a tax on entering the city'.

'What are they going to do, block people's movement, send out the police to ask to see everyone's papers?' he told Adnkronos news agency.

Venice became the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for day-tripper tourists, aimed at reducing the number of short-stay visitors who cause unmanageable congestion in peak times.

The 'tourist tax' has been controversial, with several residents' committees and associations planning protests to coincide with the launch in Italy. Representatives argue the fee will not fix the fundamental issues but only cloud the city's public image.

Authorities hope this might help manage the flow of some 30 million tourists drawn in by the city's history and romantic canals each year.

The scheme will be implemented only on the 29 busiest days of the calendar year.

Those who choose to stay in a hotel overnight will be exempted.

Residents, commuters, students and children under 14 will also be let off the fee.

Day-trippers will have to buy a ticket online that will provide them with a QR code. Stewards will be carrying out random checks to ensure cooperation, with power to issue fines ranging from €50 to €300 for being caught without a code.