Venice introduces entry fee for day-trippers to tackle mass tourism

After many years of preparation, Venice has finally debuted its controversial five-euro entry toll for tourists without a hotel reservation this Thursday (25).

This unprecedented measure – being the first city in the world to impose such a fee – has a clear objective: to confront mass tourism that has threatened the fragile balance of the city of canals for too many years, relentlessly driving out its residents.

The figures are quite graphic because, even though there are only about 50,000 residents living in the islands of Venice – not counting those living on the mainland – on days of high pressure, there can be up to 40,000 visitors in Venice at once.

Just last year, 20 million tourists came to walk through its alleyways. After having banned large cruise ships from the historic center in 2021, the City Council of La Serenissima has now decided to opt for an original measure after UNESCO threatened to include the municipality in the blacklist of endangered World Heritage Sites.

At the moment, this is all part of an experiment that will be in effect on 29 specific dates in 2024, until July 14. It all started April 25, a public holiday in Italy commemorating the liberation from Nazi-Fascism, and will continue for the next 10 days. The goal is to gather more information on tourist flows to better manage services and, at the same time, dissuade visitors from traveling to Venice during peak crowded dates.

All the dates are marked in red on an online platform set up by the City Council, where visitors can reserve their entry and obtain a QR code necessary to stroll along the canals during these days. Even parishioners attending on Sunday, when Pope Francis will hold a mass in St. Mark’s Square, will need to download it.

“I have the honor of being the mayor of the most beautiful city in the world, but in recent years it has had a problem with the quality of life of the people, with civility, and with respect for the rules,” defended Mayor Luigi Brugnaro during a press conference with correspondents in Rome. “No politician takes such a measure because it is easier to remain still and not try to find a solution. We are trying to make the city more usable and livable.”

The mayor has insisted that they do not intend to close the city as if it were an amusement park, and in fact, they do not plan to introduce barriers or turnstiles at the entrances like the Santa Lucia train station, Marco Polo airport, or Piazzale Roma, which are accessed by car or bus. Six years ago, a test was carried out with turnstiles to regulate access flows, and it turned out to be a complete disaster: they barely lasted half an hour after a group of protesters ripped them out in front of the cameras.

For now, the officials in charge of controlling access will be a team of 180 people, including volunteers and municipal workers, who will be able to request the QR code from tourists. Those who are not in compliance risk a fine ranging from 50 to 300 euros.

“This is not a measure that I take lightly, but if we continue talking, we will never do anything to preserve the delicacy and beauty of Venice,” Mayor Brugnaro insisted.

At the end of the experimental period, the intention is to open a period of reflection to study how the measure has progressed and to introduce any necessary improvements.

There are no plans to reduce the amount of 5 euros - initially, the idea of imposing a price of 10 euros was considered - but there is a long list of exemptions. Starting with children under 14, Venetians, or those who come to work or study at the universities every day. Neither will their relatives up to the third degree or friends have to pay - they can prove this with a voucher provided by their acquaintances - nor the residents of the Veneto region, or those who come to participate in sports competitions or go to the hospital.

Those with a hotel reservation or other tourist accommodation structure just need to enter it into the system, as they already pay the municipal tourist tax there. The idea is that only day visitors to Venice will need the ticket, contributing to the city’s municipal coffers under tremendous tourist pressure.

Source: La Vanguardia