Tourism has been part of the life of Venice for centuries.
However, in the last thirty years, Venice has faced grave
problems due to the tremendous volume of tourists each year.
Some fear that Venice will turn into a museum as its residents
flee to the mainland. One problem is the fact that many
tourists come to Venice on tour buses and spend little or no
money on hotels and restaurants. Moreover, tourism adds to the
overcrowding and litter. Efforts to control the flow of
tourists into the city led to rumors in 1990 that Venice would
put quotas on the number of visitors that could enter the
city.