The welcome mat is being pulled back, one new rule at a time.
The world’s most beautiful and historic cities are in a state of quiet rebellion. Overwhelmed by the negative impacts of mass tourism, they are moving beyond simple complaints and are now implementing a host of clever and often subtle new policies designed to make their cities a little less convenient and a little more expensive for the casual visitor. The goal is to gently discourage the overwhelming crowds.
For tourists in 2025, this means that a trip to these iconic destinations now comes with a new and growing set of rules and fees.
1. They are implementing a daily “entry fee”.
This is the most direct new tactic, pioneered by the city of Venice. To combat the hordes of day-trippers who they feel contribute little to the local economy, the city now requires a daily entry fee for any visitor who is not staying overnight. This is a clear financial signal that your simple presence in the city has a cost that you are now expected to pay, as shared at News Decoder.
Other cities are watching this experiment closely, and it is a model that is likely to be adopted by other overcrowded historic centers that are looking for a way to both manage crowds and generate revenue.
2. They are aggressively cracking down on short-term rentals.
The single biggest source of local resentment in many cities is the explosion of Airbnb-style rentals, which are blamed for driving up housing costs. In response, cities like Paris, Florence, and New York are now aggressively enforcing strict regulations on these rentals, according to Business Insider. This includes complete bans on new rentals in historic centers and caps on the number of days a property can be rented out.
For tourists, this means that the supply of affordable short-term rentals is shrinking, which pushes them toward more expensive hotels and makes a budget-friendly trip much more difficult.
3. They are banning cruise ships from their city centers.
The mega-cruise ship, which can disgorge thousands of passengers into a small city for just a few hours, is seen as one of the most destructive forms of mass tourism. In a bold move, cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona are now banning these large ships from their main, central cruise terminals. They are being forced to dock at industrial ports that are much further away, Euronews reports.
This makes the city much less convenient for cruise passengers to visit and is a clear and powerful statement that these cities are prioritizing the quality of life for their residents over the profits of the massive cruise industry.
4. They are creating “tourist-free” or “quiet” zones.
Some cities are now creating specific zones where tourist-related activities are being restricted. In Kyoto, for example, tourists have been banned from the private alleyways of the historic Gion geisha district due to a wave of bad behavior. In Lisbon, new “quiet hours” are being strictly enforced for Airbnbs in residential neighborhoods to crack down on party tourists.
These rules are a way of reclaiming parts of the city for the local residents, creating a clear boundary between the tourist zones and the parts of the city where people actually live.
5. They are making it much harder to drive a rental car.
The narrow, historic streets of many European cities were not designed for cars, and they are definitely not designed for thousands of tourists in rental cars who don’t know where they are going. To combat the resulting gridlock, places like Italy’s Amalfi Coast are now implementing an alternating license plate system that cuts the tourist traffic in half.
Many other cities have dramatically increased the size of their “limited traffic zones,” or ZTLs, which are effectively off-limits to non-resident vehicles. This makes renting a car a much less attractive option.
6. They are launching “anti-tourism” marketing campaigns.
In a truly ironic twist, some destinations are now spending money on marketing campaigns that are designed to tell certain types of tourists to please stay away. Amsterdam’s “Stay Away” campaign was explicitly aimed at the young, male, party-focused tourists from the UK who were coming to the city for a rowdy weekend.
The campaign used targeted ads to show them the negative consequences of their bad behavior, such as being arrested or hospitalized. It is a sign of a city that has become so desperate that it is now actively trying to repel a certain segment of its visitors.
7. They are empowering locals to report bad behavior.
Many cities are now making it easier for local residents to fight back against the negative impacts of tourism in their own neighborhoods. They have set up dedicated hotlines and online portals where residents can easily and quickly report illegal short-term rentals, noisy tourist parties, or tour groups that are blocking the sidewalks.
This empowers the local community to become the eyes and ears of the city’s enforcement agencies. It is a way of giving the residents a sense of agency and a tool to reclaim their own neighborhoods from the disruptions of tourism.
8. They are enforcing strict “decorum” rules with heavy fines.
Cities with priceless historic monuments, like Rome, are cracking down hard on what they see as disrespectful tourist behavior. They are now strictly enforcing a set of “decorum” rules with on-the-spot fines that can be hundreds of euros. These rules include a ban on sitting on the famous Spanish Steps and a ban on eating on certain historic streets.
These are not just suggestions; they are laws that are being actively enforced by the police. It is a clear message to tourists that the city is a priceless piece of world heritage, not a theme park.