Venice launches entry fee system for day-trippers

A further step was taken today regarding the "entry fee for day-trippers" decision, which the Venice City Council adopted in September 2023 to control tourist density in the city.

According to reports in the Italian press, a digital internet portal has been activated that allows tourists visiting Venice for the day to pre-pay the 5-euro entry fee and make reservations for times such as holidays when tourist density is expected to increase.

Thus, tourists planning to visit the city for the day during the spring and summer of this year will be required to pay the entry fee and make a reservation through the site created under the name "Contributo di Accesso a Venezia" (Venice Access Fee) if their visit falls on one of the 29 different days designated by the municipality as "busy days." Tourists can make reservations starting today.

In return for this transaction, a QR code serving as an entry permit will be sent to the day-trippers' smartphones, and this QR code must be presented during random checks in the city. Those who do not pay the entry fee will be subject to an administrative fine of between 50 and 300 euros in addition to the entry fee if detected by local authorities during checks.

THOSE EXEMPT FROM THE ENTRY FEE ANNOUNCED

Those staying in facilities within the Venice municipality boundaries, residents of the Veneto region where Venice is located, children under 14, those in need of care, participants in sports competitions, high school students on field trips, security forces, and fire department teams will be exempt from paying the entry fee.

By the decision of the City Council, the entry fee will be tested on 29 separate days this year, which are expected to be busy and include some holidays. In this context, the entry fee application will first be implemented on April 25-30.

It is stated that the purpose of the entry fee application is to curb day-trip tourism during certain periods in accordance with the city's delicate structure.

While there are circles that support the Venice City Council's decision on the entry fee application taken in September 2023, some express the reaction that this decision will turn Venice into an open-air museum where an entry fee is paid or "something like a theme park."

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

News Source: AA