Venice’s famous gondolas are looking to implement new restrictions due to the rapidly increasing weights of passengers on the famous ride.

The Venice Gondola Association announced this month that they will be reducing the number of passengers each slimline gondola can carry from six to five, because of travellers “ballooning average weight.”

Maximum occupancy rules for the larger “da parada” gondolas will also be reduced from 14 to 12.

The president of the association, Andrea Balbi, told CNN that although the move was regrettable, it was far more favourable than the alternative: weighing each passenger before boarding. “Over the last 10 years or so, tourists weigh more,” Mr Balbi noted.

Meanwhile, the president of the association of substitute gondoliers, Raoul Roveratto, supported the move, telling media: “From some countries, it’s like bombs loading on and when (the boat) is fully loaded, the hull sinks and water enters.”

Venice is tentatively returning to a new normal after coronavirus travel restrictions left the city at a standstill. The famous Venetian canals became visibly clearer during COVID-19 restrictions, making headlines around the world.