Venice will become the first major city in the world to charge an entry fee. With this new initiative, the city administration seeks to reduce overtourism, reports The Guardian.
After many years of development, Venice will finally begin charging an entry fee to the city starting on Thursday. According to the source, Venice will become the first major city in the world to adopt such an initiative.
Why an entry fee is being introduced
According to Simone Venturini, a city advisor on tourism, Venice became "attached" to mass tourism in the 1960s, and since then, the number of visitors has grown to such an extent that during peak periods, it attracts an average of 40,000 people per day.
The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, has stated his desire to make Venice "livable" again, as the current high level of tourist activity puts pressure on the fragile lagoon and pushes residents away from the main island.
However, the final push for the new measure came after UNESCO threatened to include Venice on its list of heritage sites at risk last year, citing mass tourism and rising water levels due to climate change.
How much it costs and who should pay
The fee for access to Venice is 5 euros, although when this idea was first proposed, the price reached 10 euros.
Only day-trippers are required to pay. Residents, passengers, students, and children under 14 are exempt from payment, as well as tourists staying overnight.
Critics of the scheme, in turn, say that 5 euros are unlikely to deter many people.
How serious are the fines for non-payment
The fines for non-payment vary from 50 to 300 euros, according to reports.
"Don’t worry, nobody will be arrested for not having paid the fee," the council spokesperson said.
Additionally, we've also prepared a list of countries that impose a tourist tax for vacations.
