Why is Venice Charging the Fee?
The idea of charging a fee to enter Venice is not discourage tourists, but to raise awareness about peak season and busy days.
Around 30 million tourists arrive each year in Venice, which is higher than the 50,000 residents living there.
How Europe is Dealing with OvertourismThe day fee in Venice has been enforced to confront the problem of overtourism, which is affecting many European countries after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Greece has also decided to charge entry fee to some of the tourist spots.
Come summer, Europe starts bustling with tourists from almost every part of the world so much so that ‘overtourism’ is now attracting a penalty in popular cities like Venice in Italy. From April 25, trippers are being charged €5 to access Venice.
Although the fee has been under discussion for years, for 2024’s pilot run, it will only be applied on certain days during the high season, between April 25 and July 14.
Venice’s Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a press conference, “The aim is not to close the city, but not let it explode”.
This did not go down well with the residents, with roughly a thousand protestors gathered in Piazzale Roma to oppose the entry fee, objecting to the idea of living in a closed city. Some argued that selling tickets reduced their city to an amusement park, just like Disneyland, as mentioned in a CNBC report.
On the first day of its implementation, according to data from the mayor’s office, 113,000 people registered, and of those 16,000 paid the fee — others were exempt for various reasons, including hotel stays, being a commuter, a student, or visiting family or friends, the CNBC report added.
Although plans initially included different fee structures and the possibility of raising funds to help offset the cost of spikes in visitors, the current plan will serve only to cover the administrative costs of the programme.
When will access fee be charged?
The access fee will be due on 29 days between April 25 and July 14. The dates are: April 25-30, May 1-5, May 11-12, May 18-19, May 25-26, June 8-9, June 15-16, June 22-23, June 29-30, July 6-7 and July 13-14.
The fee is charged for day visits between 8.30 am and 4 pm. For 2024, it’s a flat €5 ($5.45) per person per day.
For 2024, the city has exempted the fee for those travelling to most of the lagoon islands, including visitor hubs Murano and Burano, as well as the Lido, home to the city’s beaches. However, most visitors to Murano and Burano will have to pay the fee anyway, since most arrive by taking vaporetto ferries from the city center.
This is a trial phase and the local authorities have not yet decided what to do after July.
Why is Venice Charging the Fee?
The idea of charging a fee to enter Venice is not discourage tourists, but to raise awareness about peak season and busy days. Few people will forego the idea of visiting Venice because of the €5 charge, but they might be persuaded to wait for a less busy (and free) day to relieve the pressure on the city, as per a CNN report.
The city was also under pressure from UNESCO which had threatened to add Venice to its World Heritage in Danger list in 2023. The motion to do so was dropped after the city announced plans for the day tripper tax.
Around 30 million tourists arrive each year in Venice, which is higher than the 50,000 residents living there. Much of those numbers are day trippers who leave little money in the local economy, but plenty of trash and chaos.
How Europe is Dealing with Overtourism
The day fee in Venice has been enforced to confront the problem of overtourism, which is affecting many European countries after the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme was in its experimental phase since 2019, but Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions paused the action.
Greece had announced that it will be implementing time slot system in its most visited site, the Acropolis, and limit the daily visits to 20,000 individuals, with visitors being assigned specific hourly slots during the monument’s 12-hour daily operation. Greece has also decided to charge entry fee to some of the tourist spots.
Amsterdam has decided to ban cruise ships from entering their main ports to stop a large number of tourists entering a small area, putting a lot of strain on infrastructure and resources. The city administration is also planning a 1 percentage point increase to the city’s tourist accommodation tax.
France is running a campaign to encourage tourists to visit less popular destinations so that it can reduce the impact on popular destinations.
Spain’s Santiago de Compostela city is planning on launching a tourist tax to help generate revenue for local authorities and discourage excessive tourism. Barcelona’s tourist charge has increased to €3.25 from €2.75 from April.
Portugal has decided to fine those who play loud music at popular beaches. The fine ranges from €200 to €36,000.
Croatia has launched ‘Respect the City’ campaign in Dubrovonik to tackle overtourism. The initiative includes a luggage drop-off system and bans on various behavious to preserve the city’s unique charm and heritage.
