- Venice launches pilot tourist entrance fee to manage over-tourism
- €5 fee applies, random inspections conducted, violators face fines
- Mixed reactions: officials seek balance, critics call for alternative solutions
Venice becomes the first city globally to implement a payment system exclusively for visitors. To verify that individuals beyond entry points possess a QR code, officials conduct arbitrary inspections. Despite this, not all individuals are content.
Visitors to Venice are now required to pay an entrance fee by a contentious scheme that went into effect today.
The pilot program is intended to deter tourists and reduce the volume of visitors that congest the canals during the height of the holiday season, thereby making the city more habitable for locals, according to authorities.
For a period of 29 days through July, signs have been erected at various entrance points to inform arriving visitors about the new €5 (£4.28) fee that will be in effect for a test phase.
An estimated two hundred stewards have undergone training to courteously assist individuals who are oblivious of the fee for downloading a QR code; for those without smartphones, a kiosk has been established.
From 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., officials will conduct random inspections of individuals beyond the entry ports to verify that they have either paid the day-tripper tax or are exempt.
Violators are subject to sanctions ranging from €50 to €300 (£53 to £257).
Aside from the hours of 8.30 am to 4 pm, access is complimentary.
“We must find a new balance between tourists and locals,” stated Simone Venturini, the city’s top tourism official.
We must protect the privacy of the locals, but we must also prohibit the entry of day-trippers on specific days.
Venice has endured the ill effects of over-tourism for quite some time. Numerous visitors visit a World Heritage Site renowned for its picturesque waterway network and medieval architecture that has been crammed together.
Pre-pandemic estimates of 25 to 30 million annual visitors, including day-trippers, are unreliable, according to officials. The pilot project also seeks to develop more precise figures to aid in the management of the phenomenon.
In contrast, city statistics indicate that there were 4.6 million registered overnight visitors in the previous year, a 16% decrease from pre-pandemic levels.
According to Mr. Venturini, the city experienced strain when the number of day-trippers amounted to 30,000 to 40,000. This resulted in congested narrow alleyways and crowded water taxis, which disrupted the daily routines of the residents.
However, certain inhabitants remain skeptical regarding the efficacy of the strategy in deterring the influx of tourists.
There is a viewpoint that greater emphasis should be placed on augmenting the resident population and providing the necessary services to them.
In the historic district of Venice, the number of tourism beds surpassed that of official residents, who currently number less than 50,000, for the first time in history, during the previous year.
“Administering a ticket system to enter a city will not reduce the influx of visitors by a single unit,” stated Tommaso Cacciari, an activist who today coordinated a demonstration against the proposed measures.
“A ticket is required to ride the metro, visit a museum, or ride into an amusement park; entry to a city does not require a ticket.” This represents the final symbolic action in the implementation of a municipal administration initiative to evict residents from Venice.
Marina Rodino, an additional activist, stated, “This is not a museum.” Not even Pompeii is visible. It is a city in which conflict is required to restore family life and reopen establishments. That would be the antidote to this irrational tourism.”
Additionally, several travellers voiced their opposition to the new fee.
Gabriella Pappada, a resident of Lecce in southern Italy, stated, “Venice is without a doubt the most beautiful city in the world; therefore, it is unjust to deny these tourists on a budget the chance to spend an hour or two in this magnificent city.”
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However, according to Mr. Venturini, approximately 6,000 individuals have already paid to obtain the QR code, and authorities anticipate 10,000 paid day-tripper arrivals today.
Over seventy thousand individuals have obtained a QR code that indicates an exemption, which includes the ability to work in Venice or reside in the Veneto region.
Furthermore, according to Mr. Venturini, Venice might not be the last major European metropolis to impose an entrance fee.
Other destinations grappling with the negative effects of mass tourism, such as other Italian art cities, and weekend getaway attractions Barcelona, and Amsterdam, are reportedly closely observing the pilot program.
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