The mayor of Capri has said he is planning to mimic Venice and ‘experiment’ with crowd control measures to stop tourists swamping his tiny Italian island.
Gianni De Martino said last year that Capri, a popular resort since the days of the Roman Republic, ‘could explode’ after warning that receiving millions of visitors a year ‘is a bit too much’.
His comments came after Venice – which struggles to accommodate 25 million tourists a year – introduced metal barriers last weekend to funnel tourists down less popular streets so locals could still go about their business.
The mayor of Capri has said he is planning to mimic Venice and ‘experiment’ with crowd control measures to stop tourists swamping the tiny Italian island. Pictured: Capri’s Marina Grande
Tourists walk through turnstiles, set up to check the entrances from Piazzale Roma to Venice city centre
Gianni De Martino last year said Capri (pictured), a popular resort since the days of the Roman Republic, ‘could explode’ after warning that millions of tourists a year ‘is a bit too much’
‘We’re going to try out an experiment similar to the one in Venice,’ Capri’s mayor told Corriere Della Sera.
‘I understand the difficulties faced by my Venetian counterpart. We can’t stop tourists disembarking but we can do something.’
The visitor-only routes were put in place in Venice for tourists heading to St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge over the bank holiday.
The measure was signed off by the mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, according to The Telegraph, because the city was anticipating bumper crowds.
He signed a decree containing ‘urgent measures to guarantee public safety, security and liveability in the historic city of Venice’.
Before the employment of the barriers, Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro said: ‘The barriers will only be closed if there are large crowds. The aim of them is to break up and divert the flow of tourists.
‘We’ll be able to close one part of the city and open up another, controlling the degree of crowding. Venetians have the right to a city that is safe and liveable.’
Meanwhile Sirmione (pictured), a village on Lake Garda, could also be considering implementing crowd control for tourists
Sirmione has experienced an increase in visitors, partly explained by the success of 2017 film ‘Call Me By Your Name’, which was filmed in Sirmione. Pictured: Tourists around Lake Garda
Meanwhile Sirmione, a village on Lake Garda, could also be considering implementing crowd control for tourists, The Daily Express reported.
Alessandro Mattinzoli, Sirmione’s mayor, said he will not rule out such measures, adding: ‘Sustainability is fundamental.’
His village has experienced an increase in visitors, partly explained by the success of 2017 film ‘Call Me By Your Name’, which was filmed there.