Italy, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, continues to introduce new restrictions in an attempt to curb excessive visitor flows.
In particular, the popular autonomous region of Alto Adige (or South Tyrol) in the north of Italy has decided to limit the number of tourists staying overnight there, writes The Independent.
In particular, in this region on the border with Austria and Switzerland, the popular city of Bolzano is located among the Dolomites.
“At a certain time of the year and in certain areas, there were too many of them (tourists – Ed. in terms of jobs and the economy, but we have reached a limit, so we have taken these measures to ensure better management of the flow of people and the accommodation of tourists.authorities.
According to the new law adopted in September 2022, there are just under 230,000 officially approved guest beds in the region. It is also prohibited to open any new accommodation facility, unless another place is closed. This restriction applies to Airbnb accommodations.
In addition, restrictions on day trips have been introduced, with key tourist sites including the glacial Lago di Bries now requiring advance booking.
At the same time, The Independent reports, in the fishing town of Portofino in the province of Genoa, they decided to introduce fines of 275 euros for tourists who “loiter” or linger too long for photos at popular locations. Such locations will now be marked as red zones or “no wait” zones.
The mayor of Portofino, Matteo Viacava, said tourists stopping to take pictures were causing “anarchic chaos”, including constant traffic jams and congested pavements.
“The goal is not to make this place more exclusive, but to allow everyone to enjoy our beauty. We want to avoid dangerous situations caused by overcrowding,” he explained.