Tourists will need to book ahead if they want to visit one of Sardinia’s most popular beaches amid ongoing efforts in Italy to combat overtourism.

Tuerredda is a spectacular crescent-shaped bay located on the island of the same name, less than 200 yards off Sardinia’s southern coast.

In the summer months the number of beachgoers is already restricted to 1,100 a day but the local Teulada council now wants visitors to book a spot via an app before they can enjoy its fine golden sand and clear turquoise waters.

“We hope to start with the new system as early as July,” Angelo Milia, the mayor of Teulada, told local media.

With around 50 million tourists each year, Italy is one of several European countries attempting to stanch the flow of tourists amid concerns over the damage they do to historical sites and natural beauty spots.

Aggressive controls

The national government has been slow to adopt measures that might deter visitors, especially during the Vatican’s Jubilee Year celebrations, leaving it to local councils to take a more aggressive approach to control visitor numbers.

In Tuerredda, Sardinian authorities have been limiting visitor numbers since 2020 and imposing bans on disposable plastic bags, smoking, and the removal of sand or pebbles from the beach.

Last week they joined the leaders of 25 tourist towns from across Italy, including the mayors of Capri and Positano, for a crisis summit in the town of Amalfi to confront the scourge of overtourism.

Also in attendance were mayors from the alpine ski resort of Courmayeur on the French border, the coastal towns of Cinque Terre in Liguria, and Taormina, the Sicilian hilltop town which has attracted a new wave of tourists following the successful TV series, White Lotus, filmed there.