The Italian island of Capri has reopened its doors to tourists after water supply problems reported over the weekend were resolved.
On Saturday morning, Capri’s mayor, Paolo Falco, ordered a ban on tourists until the island addresses its water shortage. The mayor noted that water is essential for the tourist season, and for the time being, the island will not be accepting tourists, Schengen News reports.
The health situation is critical and we have taken measures, activated our crisis unit and issued restriction orders.
Mayor of Capri, Paolo Falco
The result was a water crisis caused by a breakdown in the mainland’s water system, forcing thousands of tourists to remain on the island. The mayor said the emergency would be made worse by the thousands of tourists arriving in Capri over the weekend.
Mayor’s orders cause chaos for island tourists
Shortly after the mayor issued the ban on new tourists, a boat ban was issued to prevent new tourists from traveling to the island.
The situation has caused congestion and long queues at ticket offices south of Naples, where most ferries to Capri depart.
Capri is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, with thousands of tourists visiting the island every day. In April 2024, as the season opens, up to 16,000 tourists are expected to visit Capri, outnumbering the island’s population of 13,000.
Capri is becoming a tourist hotspot – more people than we can accommodate, and families cannot settle there because they cannot afford the cost of accommodation.
Teodorico Boniello, President of the Local Consumer Association
Overtourism is a reality on the Italian island of Capri
Considering that the number of visitors to the island is greater than the number of residents, it is clear that this beautiful destination in Italy is attracted to mass tourism.
As part of efforts to reduce the impact of tourism, Capri has doubled the tourist fee charged to visitors taking ferries from Naples or Sorrento from 2.50 euros to 5 euros, from April to October.
We hope to attract more visitors during the winter months.
Mayor of Capri, Marino Lembo
By introducing off-season travel, the island is hoping to spread out tourist numbers throughout the year, but that’s unlikely to happen as the island is one of Italy’s top tourist destinations, with Instagram users tagging views of the island in more than 4 million posts.
