[venice endangered]Shutterstock/g215 Picturesque villages, pristine beaches, centuries-old architecture—none of it lasts forever, especially when threatened by ravaging hoards of tourists. That's why some of the world's dreamiest destinations would rather you _didn't_ pay them a visit, thank you very much. CINQUE TERRE, ITALY iStock / Lukasz Janyst Italy's Cinque Terre is the latest popular tourist site to limit the number of allowable visitors—in this case, to a maximum of 1.5 million people per year. More than 2.5 million tourists visited last year, mainly because of an increased number of cruises adding the picturesque 14th century fishing villages as a shore excursion. (The villages do not have the infrastructure to handle the dramatic increase in visitors.) Now, once the 1.5 million cap has been reached—which will be tracked by pedometers along the trails—access to the paths between the five villages will be closed. RELATED: Why You May Not Be Allowed to Visit Italy's Cinque Terre This Year SANTORINI, GREECE iStock / Freeartist The whitewashed cliff-side homes of Santorini look like something out of a storybook—but the reality of visiting this scenic Greek island is that it's usually overrun with cruise tourists. Greece's Hellenic Ports Association recently announced it will cap the number of cruise tourists allowed to enter the island at 8,000 per day, a 20 percent reduction from peak days that saw up to 10,000 entries in 2015. Santorini ports were the most trafficked by cruise ships in the country last year, according to University of the Aegean research. Reducing them year by year could "ensure the best quality services" and "safeguard the environment," according to the association. VENICE, ITALY Shutterstock/g215 Venice is sinking, and seas of tourists aren't helping—at least, that's the message the Italian city seems to send when proposals surface to cap visitor numbers. The city of canals sees upwards of 80,000 tourists some days, in addition to rising sea levels and increased flooding. Some locals in Venice say the tourist traffic is threatening the ports, canals, lagoon, and streets themselves as cruise ships and tour groups take over each summer. Venice hasn't yet imposed a limit, but the collective groan of its people reverberates in the news each time infrastructure like new rail lines and subways to handle the masses are proposed. "All this speculation is threatening the town and the lagoon itself," the head of heritage group Italia Nostra has said, according to Deutsche Welle News. "They can eat Venice now, or leave it for the future." RELATED: Best of Venice: Row Like a Venetian SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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