Capri limits big groups to tackle the crowds

A view of the Italian resort island of Capri, southern Italy, during the G7 of foreign Ministers in Thursday, April 18, 2024.

The Italian island of Capri will this summer ban tourist groups of more than 40 people as it seeks to manage hordes of day-trippers, the ANSA news agency reported Saturday.

Tour guides with groups of more than 20 people will also be required to use wireless headsets instead of loudspeakers, according to new rules approved by the city council.

Guides must also carry a discreet sign rather than an umbrella or any other potentially unsightly object to identify themselves to their group.

Capri, in the Bay of Naples, is famed for its white villas, cove-studded coastline and upscale hotels.

It has around 13,000 permanent residents but attracts huge numbers of day-trippers in summer months, with some estimates suggesting 50,000 people arrive every day.

Business association Ascom Confcommercio Capri welcomed the new rules, which follow a cap of 25 on tourist groups introduced in Venice in 2024.

Ascom Capri President Lorenzo Coppola said they were an “essential tool for easing congestion” in popular areas, “restoring proper space to our pedestrian walkways”.