Venice's newly introduced entrance fee for day-tripping tourists brought the city €975,000 ($1.1 million) in revenue over the first 11 days of a test run.
The entrance fee, introduced for the first time from April 25 to May 5, is charged at a standard price of €5. The city on Monday reported selling a total of more than 195,000 tickets, slightly exceeding expectations.
The admission fee will be charged on nearly all Saturdays and Sundays until mid-July, when the city will re-assess the fee.
As a general rule, all day visitors between 8:30 am and 4 pm (0630 to 1400 GMT) are required to pay the fee and obtain a QR code, which serves as proof of payment.
Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to €300.
Local residents, overnight guests, students and children under the age of 14 are exempt from paying the fee.
With around 15 million visitors a year, the Italian lagoon city is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world.
Mass tourism brings a lot of money into the Venetian economy, but the huge crowds are also causing the city a lot of trouble.
On many days, it is almost impossible to get through the narrow streets around St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge, two of the most popular sights for tourists.
It remains unclear whether Venice will maintain the fee beyond the test phase. If city leaders decide to keep the policy, the entrance fee will be used to maintain roads, canals and buildings.
At the moment, however, the costs of introducing the fee and setting up the ticket system are still higher than the income generated by the fees.
