AKIPRESS.COM - Visitors to Venice could be fined up to €500 (£440) for sitting in undesignated spots, after the mayor suggested a new ban as part of wider efforts to crack down on undesirable tourist behaviour, Independent reports.

The idea, hatched by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, will be voted on by the city council in October.

If the proposal is successful, tourists could be told to move on and fined from €50 to €500 for sitting somewhere they shouldn’t.

It’s just the latest in a long list of measures designed to deal with the city’s overwhelming popularity as a tourist destination.

In May, the mayor announced there would be no new takeaway outlets permitted to open in the city for the next three years; earlier the same month, city officials came under fire for segregating tourists and locals over the May Day weekend, one of the busiest times of the year.

Turnstiles were erected with the aim of dispersing footfall, which local protesters tore down in frustration.

Last year the city announced all large cruise ships (over 55,000 tons) would be banned from docking by 2021.

Meanwhile, Venice’s #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign, which launched in the summer of 2017, dictates that tourists are welcome – but only if they play by the rules.