Venice - sinking under the weight of cruise visitors

It’s claimed that several Mediterranean cities are in danger of being overrun by day-trippers as their ports see growth in cruising and cater for ever-bigger ships. Along with ports in Eastern Europe, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, Venice is being swamped by tourists whose numbers have increased from 63,255 to 181,709 in a single year Now Venice's port authorities have announced proposals for a £75 million cruise-ship berth that could take vessels such as Royal Caribbean's Genesis, which will carry up to 6,000 passengers. The city expects to be attracting 1.8 million passengers a year by 2011 – seven times the local population. There are counter-initiatives being proposed though – such as rationing visits to the fragile city to a set number every year.