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Cruise ships are BANNED from Venice following decades-long battle by residents after fury over collision with tourist boat in June 

• Locals say the ships damage the city’s foundations and ruin its famous skyline 
• They have campaigned for years for introduction of ban on liners docking there 
• City officials finally give in after crash between huge cruise ship and small boat  

 They have been blamed for damaging the city’s delicate foundations and blighting its famous skyline. Now, after a decades-long battle, residents in Venice have succeeded in getting cruise ships banned from docking there. The Italian government yesterday announced it would begin re-routing the liners away from the historic city centre, which draws some 30 million tourists a year. The decision comes after a cruise ship collided with a small tourist boat along one of Venice’s canals in June. 
The city’s population of 55,000 claims the ships are threatening to overwhelm them, dropping off an estimated 30,000 visitors during the peak summer months. Of the 60,000 tourists who descend on Venice each day, less than half stay the night.  Venice – once known as La Serenissima, or the Serene One – has also suffered damage to its ancient wooden foundations from the bow waves of the enormous ships. Italy’s minister of transport Danilo Toninelli said the cruise ships would gradually be moved away from current routes, the Financial Times reported. 

By next year the plan is for a third to berth at ports well away from the city, such as the Fusina and Lombardia terminals three miles away across the lagoon on the Italian mainland. In future the liners will dock at a new location, possibly outside the lagoon, to be decided on by public consultation. In June, Italy’s main conservation group said Venice should be put on the United Nations’ list of endangered cities.  
‘Venice is unique and we cannot allow it to be destroyed even more than it has been already,’ said Signorini in June. Venice and its lagoon are already on Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites but Italia Nostra says unbridled tourism, a steady exodus of long-time residents and environmental decay pose a huge threat to the city’s survival.  
In February, it was reported that city officials were planning to introduce a booking system so visitors can pay for entry before they arrive. Authorities said tourists – even day-trippers who only visit for a matter of hours – will be charged an entry fee of between two and five euros (£1.70 and £4.40) but it could go up to 10 euros (£9) in the high season. And by 2022, the city council said it hoped that most people visiting Venice will reserve an entry ticket to the city before visiting – then it can monitor tourism numbers. In September plans were announced to ban visitors from sitting on the ground, with fines ranging from 50 to 500 euros (£44 and £443).  

Taken from and article by Amelia Clarke for the Daily Mail