With some European countries overrun by tourism, Italy
is taking measures to curb the amount of visitors.
Several Italian towns are imposing new rules as the
country enters a peak time for local holidays and celebrations, including
Ferragosto – a centuries-old holiday for Italian workers that is combined with
the Catholic Feast of the Assumption.
Among
the mandates are beach restrictions and ‘selfie stoplights,’ according to CNN.
It is a time when 13 million of Italy’s citizens are
expected to travel, not to mention the horde of tourists.
By imposing the sanctions, Italy is hoping to reduce
the number of tourists and curtail the bad behavior and other craziness. For
instance, beach access in some towns is only allowed if tourists first sign up online.
Some towns have rules that music must end at 2 a.m., and some by 5 a.m. And
some towns will not allow you to use rocks to anchor beach umbrellas. Fines of
up to $550 could be written for violations.
In heavily trafficked tourist towns such as Rome,
temporary stoplights have been installed to better control the people who stop
for selfies such as in front of the Colosseum. Also, on the Amalfi Coast,
traffic will be regulated.
“Overtourism is blasphemy for me. If anything the
problem is managing and governing it as we have started to do since we have
been in government,” Italy’s tourism minister Daniele Santache said. “We are
also preparing the ground for future challenges, from Milan-Cortina [2026
Winter Olympics] to the Jubilee [a 2025 religious festival in Rome] which will
be an opportunity to make lesser-known realities known, build diversified
tourist offers and enhance our wonderful villages.”
Mass tourism has
been an issue in many European cities.
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