Picture this: you’re reclined in the back of a gondola, eyes closed, as the undulating swell of the canal tide rocks you into a gentle reverie. Every now and again you are roused by the reedy sound of an accordion and smell of fritto misto wafting out of a kitchen window.
Well now imagine you have to pay for this slice of the Venetian dream, €10 (£8.60), to be precise. On Friday, Venice officials announced new rules for day-trippers, which will come into effect from 16 January 2023, requiring tourists to make a reservation and pay a daily fee to visit the historic city.
As it stands, the rules only apply to tourists visiting for the day, not staying overnight, and requires them to book in advance of visiting, paying between €3 and €10 a person, with higher tariffs applying during summer holidays, Easter, regattas and festivals.
Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 80 percent of visitors coming for the day only. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, 19 million day-trippers visited Venice providing a fraction of the revenue as those staying overnight.
Tourists staying overnight already pay a tourist tax that is levied through their accommodation fees, so will be exempt from any additional charges.
Venice’s council is yet to confirm how the system will be policed, but metal turnstiles with QR code scanning capabilities have previously been suggested as a solution. The changes and online ticket booking system will be revealed this autumn, but fee-evaders will face fines of €50-300 and even possible criminal prosecution.
Tourists will have to pay to visit historic centre and St Mark’s Square, but also the surrounding Venetian islands including the Lido di Venezia, the glass-blowing isle of Murano and multi-coloured Burano, among others.
Venetian councillor Simone Venturini said in a news conference: “We won’t talk about number cutoffs. We’re talking about incentives and disincentives.”
During the holidays, tourists can outnumber residents two to one and has resulted in many Venetians getting priced out of the sinking city.
Although Venice is the first city to introduce a daily admission fee, European cities Barcelona and Dubrovnik have also introduced new measures to curb over-tourism. This summer the Catalan capital introduced a pollution tax on cruise passengers, while the Croatian hotspot added an additional tourist tax on holidaymakers to curb the high volumes of visitors during peak seasons.
