Entry to Italy's popular city of Venice is now fee-based

In Venice, Italy's historic city famous for its canals, a new system has been launched to charge an entry fee to day-trippers in an effort to control daily tourist density. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stated, "We want to manage the flow of tourists."

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Entry to Italy's popular city of Venice is now fee-based

In accordance with the decision taken by the Venice City Council in September 2023 to control the density of day-tripping tourists, the system, which will be tested on 29 days expected to be busy this year, was implemented for the first time this morning at 08:30 local time.

While informative signs, payment, and control points regarding the application were placed at the city's main entry points, Santa Lucia Train Station and Piazzale Roma, domestic and foreign tourists who arrived in the city and did not complete their transactions online made their payments at these points.

According to reports in the Italian press, 80,000 people registered on the website "Contributo di Accesso a Venezia" (Venice Access Fee) for today, the first day of the application, and it was stated that only more than 7,000 of them paid the 5 euro fee required for access to the historic city center.

It was reported that more than 36,000 euros in revenue was generated from these payments.

'WE WANT TO MANAGE THE FLOW OF TOURISTS'

While it is stated that this is the first time in the world that a fee has been paid for day-trips to a city, it was noted that other cities with similar tourist density are also closely following the application, which has been put into effect for the first time.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro also stated in his statement to the press, "The entry fee is an experiment that is a first in the world. It is an initiative to manage the flow of tourists and guarantee a better quality of life for our residents and guests."

Some tourists who paid the entry fee stated to reporters that they support this application to help Venice, while others expressed that nothing would change and that these control points turn the city into an amusement park.

THERE ARE ALSO THOSE WHO OPPOSE IT

Those who oppose the application in Venice hung banners in many parts of the city that read, "There is no need for a ticket system to manage mass tourism. No to the entry ticket system on April 25."

On the day the application was launched, hundreds of people also held a protest march at the city's Piazzale Roma with banners reading "no to the entry fee." The demonstrators reacted against Mayor Brugnaro, who introduced the application.

With its structure built over canals and its historical texture, Venice hosts millions of tourists every year.

News Source: AA