Popular Italian region introduces cap on tourists driving

Italy’s Trentino Alto Adige region, which borders Austria and Switzerland, is introducing a cap on cars.

The northern Italian region said it had “reached the limit” of how many visitors it can take, after a tourism burst.

Home to the gorgeous Dolomites mountain range and the Lago di Braies, around 34 million people visited the region in 2022.

While some have welcomed the recent tourist boom, some local residents have struggled to cope with traffic jams and rising house prices.

Officials in the region have now introduced a new booking system which will require people to apply for a new online permit.

Between the peak season of July 10 to September 10, people hoping to visit Lago di Braies in their own car will have to apply for an online permit.

If visitors are unsuccessful, they will have to travel to the tourist hotspot on foot, by bike or using public transport.

Officials are hoping this will reduce the pressure on local roads and prevent overcrowding around the lake.

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Private vehicles have also been banned from travelling to the pretty alpine meadow, Alpe di Siusi.

Arnold Schuler, Minister for Tourism, said: “Tourists come here to hike and to see beautiful places, not to find themselves in a traffic jam.

“The tourism sector is very important for us, for jobs and the economy, but we had reached the limit, so we took these measures to guarantee a better management of the flow of people, and to guarantee lodging for tourists.”

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The region isn’t the only tourist hotspot to be introducing new rules to combat rising numbers of visitors.

Venice has plans to introduce a fee for daytripping tourists while other hotspots have put restrictions on selfies.

Hallstatt, one of Austria’s top destinations, recently caught headlines when town officials erected a fence in front of one of the spot’s best views to stop tourists from taking too many selfies.

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