2023-09-12 19:37:47
The local council agreed to a 30-day test phase starting in 2024.
Starting 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 local council decided on Tuesday evening that day-trippers would be charged a fee of five euros to enter the historic center. The aim is to “shut down day tourism at certain times” in the Italian lagoon city.
The local council initially agreed to a 30-day test phase, which is expected to extend to holidays and weekends in spring and summer 2024. It will be expanded later. The exact dates are still open. The plan is now for day visitors to be able to get a QR code online and upload it to their cell phone, which must be shown during checks. Otherwise there are penalties of between 50 and 300 euros. Residents, commuters, 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 an endangered world cultural heritage site. The Italian lagoon city is at risk of “irreversible” damage if the authorities in Italy 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 “threatened world cultural heritage”. The decision is expected to be made this month.
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