Cruise ships will no longer sail past Venice's famous St Mark's Square and will be made to dock at the lagoon city's industrial port.

Ministers for infrastructure, culture, tourism and environment said the decision was made to "protect a cultural and historical heritage that belongs not only to Italy but to the entire world."

The four ministers announced a "call for ideas," because getting cruise ships to dock at the Marghera port, instead of the tourist terminal, was only a "temporary" solution. But they said they needed to "give a structural and definitive solution to the problem of large ship transit in Venice."

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While to critics, the tourist cruise ships were a blemish and a potential safety hazard due to their proximity to Venice's historic buildings, the cruise industry boomed in Venice, bringing in millions of extra visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage city.

But as part of lockdown measures, cruise ships in Italy are currently blocked due to the pandemic.

Source(s): AFP, AP