Venice is closed for tourists Sep 02, 2009

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Venice is a relatively small city with narrow streets, and when these streets get invaded by hordes of visitors, guests, and tourist, life for the local citizens becomes a nightmare. A solution to this problem was implemented by the city council. From now on, every (leisure) visitor of Venice will be required to provide documented proof of a hotel reservation, even if the visit is only for one day. In other words you will not be able to enjoy the beauties of Venice during a 4 hours walk without a hotel reservation. This measure should allow the city council to regulate the flow of tourists in and out of the city, but it remains unclear how it will reflect upon the business of museums, parks, and other tourist sites of Venice.

"There is a physical border which we cannot cross. The people of Venice are incapable of suffering all the inconveniences caused by tourist", - says Enrico Mingardi, responsible for transportation in the city. According to Mingardi the problem has been raised for over 20 years, and has recently become increasingly urgent. At the same time, the initiative has plenty of opponents, arguing that the action plan is unrealistic and infringes upon one of the basic human rights in a democratic society – the freedom of movement.