Venice is under threat of being added to a danger list of heritage sites over the impact of mass tourism and climate change on the city.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended the floating hotspot be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger over growing concerns of overcrowding and unsustainability.
The agency said steps proposed by the Italian state to tackle the issues are “currently insufficient and not detailed enough”.
Venice avoided being blacklisted in 2021 as Italy banned cruise ships from entering its lagoon to defend its ecosystem.
Since then, UNESCO said Italy “has not been communicating in a sustained and substantive manner [over] long-standing but urgent issues” that were being “hindered by a lack of overall joint strategic vision” to preserve Venice in the long term.
A Venice spokesperson said the city would “carefully read” UNESCO’s proposed decision and would “discuss it with the government”.
The capital of Veneto welcomes around 25 million people a year but excess tourism has led to the prospect of charging day-trippers fees of up to €10 (£8.59) to enter, depending on the time of year – a measure which has faced objections.
Airport-like turnstiles are also being tested to control the flow of people and, if the number becomes too high, stop new visitors from entering.
Should Venice make it onto UNESCO’s list, it will join 55 other sites where conservation has been deemed necessary including the historic centre of Odesa in Ukraine, the town of Timbuktu in Mali, and several sites in Syria, Iraq and Libya
UNESCO regularly reviews the status of its 1,157 World Heritage sites, with further danger list considerations to be made at its September conference.