Venice limits tour groups to 25 people and bans megaphones in latest tourism crackdown

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tenille Clarke , founder of the Caribbean-based public relations company Chambers Media Solutions . Clarke was born and raised in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

You could call it the perfect Philly afternoon. The weather at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park one Saturday last spring was damp, drizzly, and gray, but no one at the Southeast Asian Market cared. There was too much fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, papaya salad, charcoal-grilled chicken hearts on a stick, crab fried rice, shave ice in countless flavors, and noodles upon noodles to be bothered by a little rain. Assorted languages flowed as groups of senior citizens and families with infants milled about the vendors. A quintuplet of teenage girls in black, white, and gray '90s-era hip-hop-meets-grunge outfits performed a choreographed dance to K-pop with age-appropriate enthusiasm on a covered stage. A vendor waited attentively as an elderly auntie adjusted her order from 15 to 17 to no, wait—she turned to consult with her friend and count heads—21 lumpia.

You don’t hear about Central Florida very often, and when you do, chances are it has something to do with Walt Disney World. But just over an hour north of the famed resort complex is the mid-sized city of Ocala, a destination bursting with superlatives, including “America’s largest spring” and “horse capital of the world.”

If you’re an avid traveler (and even if not), you’ve probably heard the rumblings that sometime soon the 3.4 oz. TSA liquids rule is going to change. Currently, you’re not allowed to bring containers larger than 3.4 ounces (or 100 ml) of liquids, gels, or aerosols through security. Commonly referred to as the “3-1-1” rule, it traces its origins back to a failed plot in 2006 when terrorists in the U.K. tried to smuggle liquid explosives onto planes. The rules were originally intended to be temporary but nearly 20 years later remain in place.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charissa Enget, a content creator and cybersecurity architect who gained her graduate degree in Thailand. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Aug 5, 2024 • 6 min read

UN Tourism and TUI Care Foundation have solidified their ongoing partnership by signing an agreement at the UN Tourism headquarters in Madrid. The agreement focuses on empowering artists and artisans, particularly women and youth, in rural tourism destinations in Africa. With this new agreement, TUI Care Foundation becomes the first partner to support the pilot phase of the Tourism for Rural Development Small Grants Programme by UN Tourism.

Residents of Venice, Italy have reached a breaking point—they’re fed up with the hordes of tourists that descend on their city every year. In an effort to prevent overtourism, the city is introducing new rules to crack down on the crowds of visitors.

Tourists in Venice stuff themselves through narrow bridges in mobs. They scramble through stopped groups of people posing for selfies in front of canals. They sacrifice having even an inch of personal space just to be in public.

Low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines has released a slew of discounted fares just in time for an end-of-summer getaway.

Get ready to go long with Holland America in the Mediterranean.

Starting Thursday in Venice, group tours won’t be able to exceed 25 people and guides will be banned from using loudspeakers on the streets.