Cruisers will soon not longer be able to visit Venice by sea. The Venetians have voted to ban cruise ships from entering Venice’s Grand Canal but this will apply only to ships weighing 100,000 tonnes or more.
The new rule will come into play within the next four years and cruise ships will have to use the less appealing industrial port of Marghera which is not convenient for a day trip to Venice.
According to the the mayor of Venice Luidi Brugnaro the move was brought about by pressure from residents, tourism business and conservation groups who worried about the fragile state of the port damage the cruise ships do to the shallow lagoon and canals:
We want it to be clear to UNESCO and the whole world that we have a solution.
This takes into account all the jobs created by the cruise industry, which we absolutely couldn’t afford to lose, and we can start to work seriously on planning cruises.
Minister Graziano Delrio said work needs to be done on the new route and this is expected to be completed within four years.