Travel
Italy Bans Large Cruise Ships in Venice to Protect Site From Over-Tourism
- New rules approved by cabinet Tuesday to go into effect Aug. 1
- The decision is a win for activists who sought to protect site
A cruise ship arrives in the Venice Lagoon.
Photographer: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
Italy’s government approved measures to ban large cruise ships in Venice’s historic lagoon to protect the site from over-tourism.
Access to the lagoon and its iconic St. Mark’s square has for years been a bone of contention between environmental campaigners and tourism associations and cruise operators. Tensions heightened in 2019, when a cruise ship crashed into a small tourist boat inside the lagoon, injuring five people.