After the city of Venice launched a marketing campaign last July to attempt to tell tourists to respect the city and explore it responsibly, the city decided to take a firmer approach to growing concerns from residents on overtourism and crowding.

The city installed tourist turnstile checkpoints at main entry points to divert visitors along separate routes in an effort to break up crowds. Some residents aren’t fond of the new additions and protested the turnstiles, as they feel their installation ruins the aesthetic of the city and gives it a theme park appearance. Some of the turnstiles were even physically removed by protesters, but have since been reinstalled.

In high season the average number of tourists in Venice reaches an estimated 60,000. In a city whose residents total at around 55,000 it is easy to see why this may cause overcrowding.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro enacted an ordinance into effect April 28–May 1, a busy holiday weekend in Italy, to set up multiple checkpoints to inspect the IDs of people waiting to enter. Residents and tourists with Venezia Unica Cards were directed to take a different, less-crowded route to homes and attractions than those without. Brugnaro plans to implement the turnstiles during future weekends and peak tourist hours. The mayor of Capri, Italy, said that city is considering a similar turnstile experiment.

Many popular tourist destinations face similar challenges when it comes to managing overcrowding of the most popular areas. Some destinations have seen success in steps taken to better manage tourism growth, as many popular cities and towns prepare to face another crowded summer.

Some destinations tend to only see the economic benefits of tourism and ignore the potential negative impact overtourism can have for residents and city structures. Iceland has been successful in growing tourism during its off-season to balance out overcrowding during its high season.

Cities still have plenty of room to grow and learn as the summer season strikes again.