Italy fears being swamped by too many tourists as visitors shun crisis-hit destinations like Turkey and Tunisia

Venice is expecting a five per cent increase in tourists this summer as holidaymakers shy away from troubled destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt
Venice is expecting a five per cent increase in tourists this summer as holidaymakers shy away from troubled destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt Credit: Andrea Pattaro/AFP

It has long been one of the world’s favourite holiday destinations, but Italy fears being swamped by even more tourists this year as concerns over terrorism and civil unrest shut down traditional hotspots such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt.

The number of visitors is projected to increase sharply as tourists look to Italy as a safe haven, far from the coups, revolutions and riots that have shaken other countries in the Mediterranean. 

The problem is being exacerbated by the fact that more Italians are choosing to stay at home, fearful of trouble abroad.

Compared with last year, numbers are predicted to be up five per cent in Venice, six per cent in Florence, nine per cent on the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples and 20 per cent in the Cinque Terre, the string of fishing villages along the coast of Liguria in the north-west of the country.

“Italy is on the positive receiving end of what has happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey, where tourist numbers are down between 25 to 45 per cent,” David Scowsill, the president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, told The Telegraph.

Cities like Venice have in the past flirted with the idea of imposing a cap on the number of tourists allowed to enter each day, but have concluded that such a limit would be almost impossible to implement. Instead, the government wants to look at ways of persuading tourists to visit less well-known but equally beautiful parts of the country.

Boats fill Venice's lagoon during a traditional regatta. Many locals say normal life is being made almost impossible by the relentless crush of tourists
Boats fill Venice's lagoon during a traditional regatta. Many locals say normal life is being made almost impossible by the relentless crush of tourists Credit: Francesco Proietti/AP

Instead of swarming all over Capri, for instance, they could head to other islands, such as the Egadi and Aeolian archipelagoes off Sicily or the little-known Tremiti islands off the coast of Puglia.

The Langhe wine region of Piemonte boasts a beguiling patchwork of hills, vineyards, woodland and meadows, but without the crowds that assault Tuscany and Umbria every year.

Centuries-old cities such as Ferrara, Bologna and Mantua offer piazzas, cobbled streets and fine food, far from the madding crowds that invade Florence.

“The government is studying a strategic plan for tourism with the aim of reducing the overcrowding of the most popular places and offering alternative destinations,” Dorina Bianchi, deputy minister at the cultural heritage department, told La Stampa newspaper.

“Countries around the world are looking at ways of regulating numbers so that people don’t destroy what they have come to see,” said Mr Scowsill. “On their first trip, most tourists will want to see Venice and Florence, but on their second visit they can be enticed further afield.”  

The Italian government is studying ways of enticing tourists away from well-worn destinations such as Florence
The Italian government is studying ways of enticing tourists away from well-worn destinations such as Florence Credit: Sorin Colac/Alamy

Another tactic being studied is issuing warnings through holiday booking websites that certain places in Italy are likely to be uncomfortably crowded, particularly during the summer. 

Tourism officials say that around 80 per cent of visitors to Italy use the internet to book their trips, so the cautions could be effective in dissuading them from converging on busy spots.

“The idea would be to explain to people that there are too many visitors, that they won’t be able to enjoy the beauty of the place, that they will find services over-used and that it will be hard to find space at hotels and restaurants,” said Evelina Christillin, the president of Enit, the national tourism agency.

The national park authority that manages the Cinque Terre, five picturesque fishing villages that are perched along the coast of Liguria, is considering introducing a quota of tourists allowed to hike the paths that link the settlements, as locals complain that normal life is becoming all but impossible because of the crush of visitors.

Capri, once the haunt of Graham Greene and Sofia Loren, is trying to restrict the number of vehicles allowed on the island in an attempt to tackle congestion. Overcrowding is particularly acute in Venice, which is visited by around 25 million people a year.

Last week Unesco warned it would place the city on its list of endangered heritage sites unless the Italian government bans giant cruise ships and tankers from the shallow lagoon by next year.

The UN organisation urged the Italian government to implement “strategic, planning and management frameworks” to stop the cruise liners. One of the examples the Italians are looking to is that of Santorini. 

The Greek island announced early this year that it will limit to 8,000 a day the number of cruise ship passengers allowed to disembark. 

The spectacular island, the remains of a volcanic caldera, is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the Mediterranean and has in the past received up to 10,000 passengers in a single day.

There are other, more extreme, examples from around the world – the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, for instance, restricts the number of visitors by imposing a hefty surcharge of £200 a day on each tourist, while Peru has strictly limited the number of people allowed to hike the Inca Trail to the fabled ruins of Machu Picchu.

The problem of overcrowding is only going to get worse, as millions of newly wealthy Chinese, Indians and other nationalities set their sights on holidaying abroad.

The number of Chinese travelling overseas for holidays rose from 58 million in 2010 to 125 million last year, and is predicted to reach 200 million by 2020.

 

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