It’s been the backdrop of blockbuster movies like Casino Royale and House of Gucci, is the location of holiday homes of mega-stars like George Clooney, and as Italy’s third-largest lake, it’s one of the country’s most ‘gram-worthy destinations.
No wonder so many tourists flock to Lake Como. Located in Lombardy, northern Italy, it attracts about 1.4 million visitors a year, but it could be the next European destination to start curbing its overwhelmingly high numbers.
Alessandro Rapinese, mayor of Como city, told the Times: ‘We are already discussing the idea [of a tourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey.’ He continued: ‘[It’s] difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism.’
Rapinese is reportedly considering implementing a similar model to the tourist tax in Venice, which would apply to day-trippers and might only be levied on peak days like weekends and public holidays.
Villa del Balbianello, an eighteenth-century lakeside villa that has featured in James Bond and Star Wars films, was forced to slash entry numbers from 2,000 to 1,200 to protect it. This was considered a pretty drastic decision by the Italian Fund for the Environment, but they recognised it was essential to counter the effect ‘of an excess of tourism’, according to euronews.
Overtourism in Europe
Plenty of destinations across Europe are implementing measures to curb their unmanageable tourist numbers. Some are simple entry fees (like in Venice, and at these attractions in Istanbul and Seville), while others are a little more unconventional (take a look at Amsterdam’s newest campaign).
Here is a full list of all the destinations you’ll have to pay extra to visit this year.
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