Overcrowding and tourism have long been a problem for the city, and this was affirmed when just two years ago, Venice narrowly escaped a position on UNESCO’s list of endangered heritage sites. In 2018, the Italian Government approved a campaign spearheaded by Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro, which aimed to tackle the problems that tourism produced, with the introduction of an entry fee to access the city. In the six years that followed, the initiative was pushed back multiple times, and was finally trialled this summer. This made Venice the first city in the world to operate an entry fee scheme.
The trial covered 29 days this summer between April and July, and charged €5 per head for entry to the city. The revenue from the period was around €2.4m, while the initiative itself cost around €3m. However, this cost will be made up next summer when the trial period is officially over, and the scheme comes into full effect. The same price will apply in the summer of 2025, but will be raised to €10 for those who book less than four days in advance.
'The revenue the initiative will produce could help to preserve the city, both architecturally and economically'
The biggest change is the number of days the charges run for, almost doubling to 54 days; every Friday to Sunday between April 18th and July 27th as well as public holidays. These charges don’t apply to Venetians, those visiting relatives, anyone under the age of 14, students of Venice University, and most notably, those who have reservations to stay in Venice. As the charges only operate from 8:30am to 4pm, the fee is aimed at ‘day – trippers’.
I visited Venice in 2018, and I am, exactly, the target audience these fees are aimed at. I took a day trip from Lake Garda, waking early to drive to the coast as we boarded a boat into the city itself. Despite it being one of the hottest days of the summer, even from the early hours in the city, it was absolutely packed. Since the pandemic, tourism in the city has only increased, and appeals such as Campaign for a Living Venice are aware of the ‘vast amounts of garbage but scant financial benefit’ tourism leaves. The revenue the initiative will produce could help to preserve the city, both architecturally and economically. The notion of a fee altogether could prevent some tourists from wanting to visit at all. Furthermore, the fine for not paying the fee will range between €50 and €300.
Response to the introduction of the fee has been mixed. While many are against it due to Brugnaro’s controversial views and his lack of desire to take initiative for the city after its dip in tourism during the pandemic, others are saying the fee will do nothing to support the city. X, formerly Twitter, comments on @BBCWorlds announcement of the extended tourist entry fee saying that “5€ will not stop the nightmare that is visiting” Venice. Others say that it's “just 5EUR. Not worth the news! It costs 12EUR to visit a church nowadays,” or that the fee is “worth it to visit Venice.” However, for another X user, they claim they will not be “going to Venice any time soon.” Other users praise the “smart move to manage tourism impact” and the importance to “protect its unique culture and environment.”
It will be interesting to see how tourism in Venice looks after another summer of this scheme. Would you be willing to pay an entry fee to visit your favourite city?