The local council agreed to a 30-day trial phase starting in 2024.
From next spring, Venice wants to test a controversial fee system for day tourists in order to limit the number of visitors to the world heritage city. The City Council decided on Tuesday night that day trippers will be charged a fee of five euros to enter the historic center. The objective is to “end daytime tourism at certain times” in the Italian lagoon city.
The local council initially agreed to a 30-day testing phase, which is expected to extend to holidays and weekends in the spring and summer of 2024. It will be expanded later. Exact dates are still open. 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. Residents, travelers, students and children under 14, as well as tourists staying overnight in the city are exempt from the entry fee, it said in a statement.
It is “necessary to regulate tourist flows during certain periods”, explained Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. But this does not mean that the city will be “closed”. “Venice will always be open to everyone.”
UNESCO declared Venice and its lagoons a World Heritage Site in 1987. At the end of July, UNESCO recommended that the city be classified as a world cultural heritage site in danger. The Italian lagoon city risks suffering “irreversible” damage if the Italian authorities do not do more to protect it, the UN cultural organization justified its recommendation. The world cultural organization UNESCO is currently discussing whether Venice should be placed on the list of “endangered world cultural heritage”. The decision is expected to be made this month.