VENICE: In an attempt to lessen the impact of mass tourism, the ancient Italian city of Venice introduced a new plan on Thursday that charges day visitors admission. However, many locals are against the plan.
Inspectors conduct spot checks at important access points, and visitors must purchase a five-euro ($5.3) ticket in order to enter the Unesco World Heritage site for the day.
Venice is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world and is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful cities, but the crowds are getting to the city.
By the time the program started on Thursday at 8:30 a.m., about 10,000 tickets had been sold, according to Simone Venturini, the municipal councillor in charge of tourism.
The “Venice Access Fee” is being implemented as a pilot scheme for 29 busiest days in 2024, primarily weekends from May to July. In Italy, Thursday is a national holiday. The quantity of tickets that are accessible is unlimited. Rather, the intention is to encourage day-trippers to come back at slower times.
Sylvain Pelerin, a French visitor who has been to Venice for more than 50 years, said, “I think it’s good, because it might slow down the numbers of tourists in Venice.” Overnight guests and minors under the age of fourteen, among others, will not be charged the tourist tax.
However, not everyone is pleased, as some locals plan to demonstrate against a policy they believe restricts their fundamental right to free movement.
“This is a city, not a museum, and you shouldn’t have to pay—it’s a protected ecological area,” stated Marina Dodino, who represents the ARCI, the local citizens’ association.
The new plan, according to Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, is “an experiment” that will be observed “without queues” and with “very soft controls.”
