Article - Italy to impose limits on visitors to Cinque Terre (not true)

[Pauline]

The Guardian - Italy to impose limits on visitors to Cinque Terre with tourist 'ticket' system, Reuters, Feb 17 2016
"Access to beautiful and rugged coastal area will be closed this summer once the number of visitors reaches 1.5 million in order to preserve the local culture"

"Tickets will be sold ahead of time online and an app created for tourists to show which of the villages are most congested."

Too many people are visiting the Cinque Terre, five villages on the coast in southern Liguria. The article says "the rugged coastal area risks being wrecked by coach parties and cruise ships." We were last in the Cinque Terre in 2004. We stayed in Levanto, the first town on the coast north of the Cinque Terre, and walked from there into the Cinque Terre or took the train. Even then the villages were packed with people arriving by foot, train or car (you can easily drive to the villages on either end, plus there is a road that connects them).

The hike between towns was beautiful, but was nose to tail when going out of the towns (and climbing all the steps).

This is sad, isn't it? An area in danger of being ruined because of its popularity? The solution, I think, is to give other area exposure, so visitors don't all go to the same place but instead spread out throughout the country.

 

[JustTravel]

I wish that something is done about the millions of day trippers in Venice.

 

[MaryP]

I agree about the number of day trippers in Venice. We normally spend two weeks there in mid October without being mobbed, but this year there were so many people it was just uncomfortable. It was actually a shock after spend a week further north in Italy with few tourist.

Such a shame about the Cinque Terre, such a beautiful area and one we enjoying sharing with our grandsons, like Pauline we stayed in Levanto which we thought was a great choice.

 

[ellen]

Over on Trip Advisor the Cinque Terre destination experts are saying that the park administration back pedaled on this proposal almost immediately after the media drew attention to it. They do need to do something but it looks like this particular plan is stalled, if non dead on arrival.

 

[Chris]

http://www.wendyperrin.com/the-truth-about-cinque-terres-supposed-tourist-limits/

 

[Pauline]

That is a good article. She says that people are discussing possible solutions but nothing is in place yet. The increase in the number of visitors to the Cinque Terre is staggering: "since 2011, the number of visitors has shot up from about 400,000 to about 2.5 million in 2015."

I changed the title of this thread so we are not adding to the mis-information.

 

[Pauline]

I think the answer to the Cinque Terre problem is obvious. The Italian authorities should heavily tax the cruise ships when they dock in La Spezia. This would make cruises more expensive, so less people would take them, then there would be fewer cruise ships and fewer people taking the train to the Cinque Terre. There - problem solved!

Or they could cruise slowly along the Cinque Terre, so people would not feel the need to go there by train.

 

[ellen]

Well, I agree that cruise ships add to the problem but they are not the issue entirely. Large cruise ships have only been able to dock at La Spezia for the last couple of years, when they opened part of the commercial/military port to them. Prior to that cruise ships had to drop anchor and tender passengers in, which they are loathe to do, so the move to open the port was a deliberate choice on the city's (or the region's) part to increase their share of the lucrative cruise business.

From a business perspective, now that they've created the demand, this would be the time to ratchet up the fees. I wonder, however, how far in advance these fees are negotiated (and, therefore, how quickly an increase might make a difference).

 

[Pauline]

That article said: "since 2011, the number of visitors has shot up from about 400,000 to about 2.5 million in 2015." That is a huge increase and I think it is from the cruise ships because it matches what you are saying @ellen - just in the last few years. But, of course, it is the local government that decides to have them dock in port.

I always thought it would be cheap flights that would increase tourists to unsustainable levels, but it is the cruises. 20 years ago I never imagined they would become as popular as they are. Those of us wanting to be in less crowded places will need to go inland I guess!