Venice’s €5 tourist fee returns – and will double for last-minute day-trippers
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Version 0 of 1. City authorities still hope the scheme, which made an unexpected €2.4m last year, will help tackle overtourism Venice’s entrance fee will resume from Friday, with the main novelty this year being that last-minute day-trippers will pay double. Last year, as part of an experiment aimed at dissuading day visitors during busy periods, Venice became the first major tourist city in the world to charge people to enter. Although the initiative made little impact on visitor numbers, it did rake in €2.4m for the lagoon city’s coffers, much more than expected, and Venice authorities still believe it will eventually contribute to helping the Unesco world heritage city tackle overtourism. This year’s levy, which is bookable online, remains €5, but will double if bought within three days before arrival in the city. Furthermore, it has been expanded to apply on 54 dates, mostly weekends, between 18 April and 27 July, almost double the number of days compared with last year. The measure applies between 8.30am and 4pm local time. Visitors are provided with a QR code which they will need to present to stewards hired to patrol the city’s main entrance points, for example Venezia Santa Lucia train station. Anyone who books an overnight stay in Venice is exempt from paying the fee, as are tourists from the wider Veneto region, which is where most day-trippers come from, as well as children under the age of 14. But even if a visitor has booked a hotel room they are still obliged to register their presence on the website. Last year set a new record for visitors to Venice and its wider area, with more than 3.9 million staying overnight in the city’s historic centre. However, roughly 30 million people visit each year, the majority coming just for the day. More than 35,000 day-trippers have already booked a ticket, according to the local news website Venezia Today. Simone Venturini, Venice’s councillor for tourism, said that while there was “no magic wand” solution to a problem affecting many European tourist cities, the access fee scheme “represents a tangible and innovative tool” in terms of data analysis and managing visitor flows. “It will be a long journey, but from now on the city will be able to rely on objective data rather than mere estimates to understand the phenomenon of overtourism,” he said. “Our goal is to encourage quality tourism – overnight stays – that respects the city and seeks to engage with it on a deeper level, embracing its unique character and rhythm.” Another goal was to “strike a better balance between the rights of those who live in Venice and those who wish to visit it”, he added. While the fee was mostly embraced by tourists last year, it was bitterly contested by Venice’s residents. Many of them believe the only real way to achieve more sustainable tourism would be to target the people who stay overnight by clamping down on short-term holiday lets and improving services for the year-round population, which in 2022 fell below 50,000 for the first time. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Giovanni Andrea Martini, a Venice councillor for the opposition, is among the fee’s most prominent critics. “It has made absolutely no difference,” he said. “The numbers have actually been increasing. In recent days, we have been overwhelmed.” Although there have been no new protests against the fee, residents have objected to attempts to encourage tourists to visit lesser-known areas of Venice’s main island. “It is a measure aimed at reducing tourist pressure but naturally it has provoked anger among people living in these areas as it will disrupt their peace,” said Martini. “It is becoming even more tragic for those who live here.” |