Italy: New Tour Guide Law; Venice Losing Residents

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | 1 comment | April 11th, 2007 | Trackback

Laws dating back to the 1930s that regulated tourist guides were changed recently when the Italian Senate voted on a series of laws to liberalize the economy. The former law required that all guided groups have a locally-sanctioned guide, which meant that teachers, art historians or other qualified individuals could not lead tours unless accompanied by a guide with local certification. The new law allows those with a relevant form of professional qualification to lead tours. In other news, the last active preschool in the heart of Venice will be converted to a hotel, another sign that Venice is gradually emptying of locals and moving toward becoming exclusively a tourist attraction. In 50 years the population has dropped from 175,000 to 61,000, with some 50,000 tourists visiting every day. Businesses have gone where the money is; these days that means catering to tourists.

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