Beginning this summer, Venice, Italy, intends to limit tour groups to the historic city to no more than 25 people. The cap is the city’s most recent effort to reduce overtourism and is set to apply to Venice’s historic center and the islands of Murano, Torcello and Burano.

Slated to go into effect as early as June 1, the cap also coincides with Venice’s other new rule of banning the use of loudspeakers. Citing disturbance and confusion issues, the city claims the ban of loudspeakers is part of a greater effort to make the historic city a more enjoyable place to visit and live.

Late last year, UNESCO recommended adding the city to its endangered list due to overtourism and the influx of cruise ships docking near the old city. In response, the city announced plans to impose a tourist fee for daytrippers in 2024. Aiming to combat overcrowding during the city’s peak visitor days, Venice hopes these combined efforts will aid in the city’s revitalization and preservation.

The tourist fee is set to be enacted this spring. Officials will charge about $5.35 to daytrippers traveling to the old city. Overnight visitors will be exempt.

Venice is just the latest in a string of popular destinations setting caps and other limitations on travelers to protect both historic and natural sites globally. Since early September 2023, Athens has limited the number of visitors to the Acropolis to 20,000 a day. Particularly in the summer, the Acropolis reached and threatened to exceed maximum capacity. The new cap and spreading out of visitors saw a more evenly distributed crowd coming to the site across the entire day as opposed to a four-hour window when peak crowds used to flock.

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam imposed a ban on cruise ships coming into the city. The city’s central cruise terminal on River IJ will also close.

Other Italian cities like Rome and Florence concocted their own ways to combat overtourism. Florence recently banned new Airbnbs and short-term holiday rentals in the city center, while Rome introduced fines aimed at tourists, including banning men from being shirtless in public, cracking down on food littering at famous sites and banning visitors from attaching “love padlocks” to bridges. Portofino implemented “no-waiting” zones in popular photo spots, with steep fines for tourists hanging around at a spot for too long.

In the Austrian Alps, especially in the town of Hallstatt, wooden barriers have been built to block popular views. These barriers coincide with the town’s cap on the number of tourist buses and cars coming to the area.

Even Paris introduced some caps. In June 2022, Louvre Museum set a limit of 30,000 tickets per day to the popular museum.

Travel is expected to continue growing following the COVID-19 pandemic and a surge in travel trends encouraging people to get out and explore the world. It’s probably only a matter of time before even more popular cities and destinations impose new caps and rules.

Have you traveled to any of these popular cities? Did you encounter massive crowds? What do you think is going to be one of the biggest problems with overtourism in the coming years? Do you agree with these cities imposing caps and rules? Have you encountered one of these rules yourself on your travels? Tell us your thoughts. Email us at [email protected]. Please include your full name and location.