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Interactive Maps Installed at Madinah Book Fair to Enrich Visitors' Experience, Facilitate Searches

The third edition of Madinah Book Fair kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
The third edition of Madinah Book Fair kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Interactive Maps Installed at Madinah Book Fair to Enrich Visitors' Experience, Facilitate Searches

The third edition of Madinah Book Fair kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
The third edition of Madinah Book Fair kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Madinah Book Fair integrated modern technologies to facilitate visitors' searches for books, participating publishers, or exhibition areas hosting various activities, the Saudi Press agency said on Thursday.
Through interactive maps, similar to GPS navigation maps, that are installed throughout the fairgrounds, visitors can locate publishers and authors and can also navigate all areas of the fair by scanning Quick Response (QR) codes on their mobile devices, including the main stage, workshop areas, children's zone, book signing platforms, restaurants and cafes, restrooms, prayer areas, and others.
The interactive touch-enabled maps spread throughout the exhibition operate with advanced technology, allowing visitors to search for specific publishers and obtain detailed information such as their names, the booth number where they are located, the distance to reach them, and the estimated time required.

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New Tourist Limits Get Warm Welcome in Venice

Tourist walk in Saint Marks Square on the day Venice municipality introduces a limit for tourist groups to 25 people to protect the fragile lagoon city and reduce the pressure of mass tourism in Venice, Italy, August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri Purchase Licensing Rights
Tourist walk in Saint Marks Square on the day Venice municipality introduces a limit for tourist groups to 25 people to protect the fragile lagoon city and reduce the pressure of mass tourism in Venice, Italy, August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri Purchase Licensing Rights
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New Tourist Limits Get Warm Welcome in Venice

Tourist walk in Saint Marks Square on the day Venice municipality introduces a limit for tourist groups to 25 people to protect the fragile lagoon city and reduce the pressure of mass tourism in Venice, Italy, August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri Purchase Licensing Rights
Tourist walk in Saint Marks Square on the day Venice municipality introduces a limit for tourist groups to 25 people to protect the fragile lagoon city and reduce the pressure of mass tourism in Venice, Italy, August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri Purchase Licensing Rights

Venetians and visitors alike welcomed new rules introduced on Thursday to limit the size of tourist groups in the latest effort to reduce overcrowding.

Tourist parties will be capped at 25 people and guides will be barred from using loudspeakers to help the flow of pedestrians and make it more peaceful for residents, Reuters reported.

"I think it's right," said 81-year-old local Edie Rubert.

"It would be better to reduce it more. Because you can't walk along the narrow canalside streets when these groups are there," she added, saying it was even worse when she needed to use her shopping trolley.

In April, Venice became the first city in the world to introduce a payment system for visitors in an experiment aimed at dissuading daytrippers from arriving during peak periods.

Sebastian Fagarazzi, co-founder of the 'Venezia Autentica' (Authentic Venice) Tourist Enterprise, said more action was needed.

"It's probably a good decision in that regard, but it's not going to be enough. Tourism in Venice has pushed out 72% of the inhabitants in the past 70 years, so 28% only remain today," he said.

Venice's historic centre had more than 170,000 residents in 1954, according to city authorities. Last year, they were down to just over 49,000.

"As a consequence, it's not enough to just make smaller groups or, for example, ask people to pay a small tourism tax. What must be done is to rethink tourism in order to support the local community," added Fagarazzi, whose organisation aims to support more sustainable tourism.

The restrictions, which cover the city centre and also the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, also got a thumbs-up from some tourists themselves.

"Yeah, I think it's good. I mean, it's very, very congested in a lot of places," said Mark Kerr, visiting from Scotland.

"In particular, yesterday we were at the St. Mark's Basilica and the queues were massive to get in, so I think there's a need to manage it, is probably the best way I can describe it."