Venice is now concretizing its plans to introduce an entrance fee for day tourists. On April 25, five euros will be charged for entry to the lagoon city for the first time, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro announced on Thursday.
The entrance fee will be charged on a total of 29 days in 2024: from April 25 to 30, from May 1 to 5 and all other weekends (Saturday and Sunday) until July 13 and 14. This excludes Republic Day weekend (June 1 to 2). The contribution is paid by credit card or Paypal. The entrance fee is only waived between 4:00 PM and 8:30 AM.
Local residents and people born in Venice, property owners (even if they do not live in Venice), students and workers do not have to pay an entrance fee. Children under 14, disabled persons and accompanying persons are required to make a reservation, but do not have to pay.
“Prevent the city from exploding”
The mayor defended the controversial measure. “Our goal is not to raise money, but to prevent the city from exploding. We want to make Venice more touristic, because it does not only belong to the Venetians, but to the whole world,” said Brugnaro.
“Our streets cannot be compared to those of any other city. We absolutely need to regulate the flow of people. So far, no politician has had the courage to introduce an entrance fee. “We will have more costs than income in the first two years, but we believe that this decision is necessary,” explains the city boss, who has been in office since 2015. 2024 will be a test year. “We need to know how many day tourists are arriving and see whether the system of QR codes for paying the entrance fee works,” says Brugnaro.
Fighting crowds
Venice has been fighting the influx of tourists for years and has repeatedly tried different strategies to cope with the massive influx. According to the mayor, the entrance fee mainly goes to the maintenance and cleaning of the city.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
