"Italian Authorities Take Action Over Noise Complaints... Restrict Group Tours and Ban Loudspeaker Use"

Restriction of 25 Group Tourists and Ban on Loudspeaker Use
‘Overtourism’ Worsens Due to Revenge Tourism After COVID-19

The famous Italian tourist city of Venice is suffering due to the influx of tourists. Ultimately, the city has prepared measures such as limiting the size of group tours.

On the 30th (local time), the Venice City Council announced in a press release that it will implement rules limiting the size of group tourists to a maximum of 25 people and banning the use of loudspeakers by guides. The council explained that this is "to pursue balance and coexistence between Venice residents and tourists."

Accordingly, from June 1 next year, the size of group tourists visiting Venice cannot exceed 25 people. The use of loudspeakers by tour guides is also prohibited. Additionally, group tourists are forbidden from stopping in narrow streets, bridges, or passageways to listen to guides' explanations, as this may cause inconvenience to pedestrians.

These rules apply not only to the historic district of Venice but also to the surrounding islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello.

Venice has been facing a backlash due to so-called "revenge tourism" after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of tourists surged due to the pent-up desire of people who had been unable to travel.

Since the beginning of this year, tourists exceeding the city's capacity have flocked in, causing Venice residents to suffer from soaring housing prices, living costs, and noise. As a result, residents who could no longer endure the situation have moved away, and the population within the historic district of Venice, which was over 130,000 in 1961, has now decreased to less than 50,000.

The Venice authorities are implementing various measures to address the departure of native residents and overcrowding of tourists. One such measure, decided last September, is to charge a 5-euro (about 7,000 won) entrance fee to day-trip tourists visiting Venice starting from April next year.

This phenomenon, known as "Overtourism," is not unique to Venice. Places like the Swiss Alps and Tokyo, Japan, are also showing movements to impose various taxes to limit tourists.

In South Korea, Jeju Island, Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village and Itaewon, and Jeonju Hanok Village are representative places experiencing overtourism. Jeju Island faced controversy after proposing the introduction of an environmental conservation fee called the "entry tax" due to a significant increase in the cost of processing household waste caused by tourists.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.