Venice Makes New Changes Adding Entry Fee to Day-Trippers
Venice, Italy has unveiled a new policy to charge tourists who do not stay in Venice overnight, which they will have to book online prior to their arrival and pay a fee. Although the exact amount has not been confirmed yet, it is estimated to range between 3 to 10 euros per person and will vary on how advanced your booking is.
Dal #16gennaio 2023 entrerà in vigore il Contributo d’Accesso a #Venezia!
Una sperimentazione unica al mondo per la gestione dei flussi turistici.
La città non sarà chiusa ma ci sarà un sistema premiante per chi prenoterà con anticipo.
Dettagli: https://t.co/Fy0eeMF4by pic.twitter.com/czCSKakJmw— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) July 1, 2022
The policy will be implemented on January 16, 2023. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro celebrated the introduction of the policy tweeting that it is “a unique experiment in the world for the management of tourist flows.” Venice has been struggling with overcrowding of tourists for years, especially after the world gained flexibility with Covid-19. It has reached the point where tourists have outnumbered the local residents, causing them difficulties in their lives.
The policy will only apply to day-trippers since overnight tourists will already pay a tourist tax in their accommodation fees. Those who evade the payment will have to pay a fine up to 300 euros.
Italian Tourism Councillor Simone Venturini and Budget Councillor Michele Zuin presented that the new campaign is their solution to balance the city’s residents, tourists, and history. “We are the first in the world to introduce this system, and we are aware that not everything will work well from the start, but we will be ready to improve as we go along. We want to guarantee tourists the best quality of visit and ensure that the city can give visitors all the services they need”.
Other European cities such as Barcelona, Rome, and Amsterdam are also struggling with over-tourism. Therefore, Venice’s new tourist tax policy can kick off the new system for the rest of the world.
