Venetians hold protest against tourist influx

Hundreds of Venetians have held a protest to demonstrate against the amount of tourists who visit the city.

Carrying placards to Venice’s landmark St Mark’s Square on Sunday, they called for the number of visitors to be restricted.

Locals claim the tourist influx has turned the ancient lagoon city into a huge hotel which is too expensive for ordinary Venetians to live in.

Residents are also angry that many of Venice’s traditional shops have been turned into souvenir stores or mini-marts.