Venice charges day visitors five euros from April onwards
Short-term visitors to Venice will have to pay an entrance fee of five euros on certain days from April next year. The mayor of the Italian lagoon city, Luigi Brugnaro, announced the dates on Thursday. The new regulation is intended for days when Venice is traditionally particularly crowded. In total, the regulation will initially apply on 29 days from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: from April 25 to May 5 inclusive and then, with one exception (June 2/3), on all weekends until mid-July. The basic decision was taken by the local authority in September after years of debate.
The fee is intended to prevent mass tourism in Venice from causing even more damage than it already does today. The more than five million tourists a year bring a lot of money into the city's coffers, but also cause major problems. The center with St. Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge and all the canals now has less than 50,000 permanent residents. On some days, there are more than twice as many tourists visiting, making it almost impossible to get through the narrow streets.
Only day visitors have to pay admission - but that is the vast majority. They now have to get a QR code online and download it onto their cell phone. Anyone caught in the old town without a "Venice ticket" will have to pay a fine of between 50 and 300 euros. The regulation does not apply to overnight guests who already pay tourist tax or commuters. Children under the age of 14 are also exempt. The revenue is to be used to maintain the canals, roads and buildings.
This fee aimed at controlling mass tourism could also help in preserving Venice's environmental integrity. The increased income from tourism should be utilized not only for revenue generation but also for sustainable environmental practices in Venice.
Source: www.dpa.com
