Tourist fee reinstated in Venice - Day visitors, 5 euros to enter the "floating city"
Venice's entrance fee will resume from April 18, with the main novelty this year being that last-minute day trippers will pay double. Last year, as part of an experiment aimed at discouraging day visitors during busy periods, Venice became the first major tourist city in the world to charge people an entrance fee.
Although the initiative had little impact on visitor numbers, it raised 2.4 million euros for the city's coffers, far more than expected. Venice authorities still believe the measure will help the UNESCO World Heritage city cope with overtourism.
This year's fee, which can be booked online, remains at 5 euros, but will be doubled if purchased within three days of arrival in the city. Furthermore, it has been extended to apply to 54 dates, mainly on weekends, between 18 April and 27 July, almost double the number of days compared to last year. The measure applies between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm local time. Visitors are given a QR code to present to people employed to patrol the city's main entry points.
Anyone booking a one-day stay in Venice is exempt from paying the fee, as are tourists from the wider Veneto region, where most day visitors come from, as well as children under the age of 14. But even if a visitor has booked a hotel room, they are still required to register on the website.
Last year set a new record for visitors to Venice and the surrounding area, with more than 3.9 million staying overnight in the city's historic center. Although 30 million people visit the site each year, most travel within the day. More than 35,000 day visitors have already booked a ticket.
Experts from the floating city say that the access fee scheme "represents a tangible and innovative tool" in terms of data analysis and visitor flow management. "From now on, the city will be able to rely on objective data and not just estimates to understand the phenomenon of overtourism. Our goal is to encourage quality tourism, overnight stays, that respect the city and its unique character," they say.
Also, another goal of this measure was to "find a better balance between the rights of those who live in Venice and those who wish to visit it."
While the fee was welcomed by tourists last year, it was fiercely opposed by Venetians. Many believe the only real way to achieve more sustainable tourism would be to target overnight visitors, limiting short-term vacation rentals and improving services for the year-round population, which in 2022 fell below 50,000 for the first time.
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