In Venice, short-term visitors will have to pay entry on certain days. The City Council of the Italian lagoon city decided yesterday to charge a fee of five euros to tourists who stay for just a few hours and do not stay overnight. Regulation is expected to begin in the spring. In 2024, it will initially apply for 30 days, when experience shows that there are particularly high numbers of visitors. It will be expanded later. Exact dates are still open.
Portal/Manuel Silvestri
Essentially, Venice – one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations – no longer has even 50,000 permanent residents. During high season, on some days there are more than twice as many travelers. The influx has been causing major problems for many years. Cruise tourists, in particular, have been the target of criticism. This is why admission charges have been discussed for a long time. However, the plans are also controversial among residents. The decision was postponed several times.
The plan now is for day visitors to be able to obtain a QR code online and load it onto their cell phone, which must be shown during checks. Otherwise, there are penalties of between 50 and 300 euros. The city hall justifies the project by saying that there must be a “balance of interests”.