Why Venice is set to ban large tourist groups from June?

In a bid to ease the impact of mass tourism, Venice is set to ban loudspeakers and tourist groups more than 25 people. The ban will come into effect since June.

The Italian city in a statement said that the use of loudspeakers have been banned as they can "generate confusion and disturbances," it added.

Venice is one of the most visited places by tourists in Europe.

According to Elisabetta Pesce, official in charge of security, the latest policies are "aimed at improving the management of groups organised in the historic centre."

Venice, a city with just 7.6 sq km in size, has been struggling to address the issues related to tourism. According to statistics, the city had hosted almost 13 million tourists in 2019. Also, UNESCO has said that the city should be added to list of world heritage sites in danger.

In September, Venice approved the trial of a $5.35 entry fee for daily visitors, in an attempt to address the issues.

However, other hotspots including Florence, Rome, and Athens have implemented tourist restrictions to reduce damage to its historic monuments. Athens in Greece capped visitor numbers at Acropolis to 20,000 a day, to reduce damage to the ancient temple complex. While Rome introduced fines and also banned the "love padlocks" from being attached to bridges.