The Municipality of Venice recently approved the levying of an entrance fee to the city

07-09-23

The fee or "access contribution" is part of a strategy aimed at controlling mass tourism and will initially be 5 euros for those wishing to visit the city starting next European spring.

Venice thus becomes the first city in the world to introduce such a measure. It is a provision that was announced several times and approved for the first time in July 2022 and would be applied as of January 16 of this year.

Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage City, receives some 20 million visitors a year in an area of 414 km², making it one of the 55 sites included by UNESCO itself on the 2023 list of World Heritage in Danger.

The new entrance fee, after review by the relevant commissions, will be finally approved next September 12 and will be in force in 2024 for about 30 days.

"From today begins a path that we undertake with humility, knowing that there will be problems to solve and obstacles to overcome. No one has shown it to us before, we are charting it ourselves in the belief that tourism management is a priority for the future of our city," they point out from the City Council. "the resolution establishes the guidelines for the introduction of a new system for the management of tourist flows, with the definition of general principles, exclusions, exemptions, controls and sanctions, through a multichannel and multilingual platform that will be available shortly," the municipal website points out.

The tax must be paid by all persons over 14 years of age entering the city and residents, workers and students are exempted. Also exempt are tourists staying overnight in the city, residents of the Veneto region, children under the age of 14, people in need of care, participants in sports competitions, law enforcement officers on duty and residents' family members. "In general, the contribution will be requested from daily visitors," highlighted the City Council.