Venice is introducing a special system for booking visits to the city, as well as a fee of five euros for entry to the historic center. However, it will only apply on selected days from April 25 to July 14. It will also apply only to tourists who do not stay overnight in the city. This is the first test of such a solution in the world.
The city authorities explain that their goal is to develop a new system for managing the inflow of tourists and to discourage the so-called one-day tourism in high season. The biggest crowds are caused by those who come only for a few hours of sightseeing. On many days of the year, even now – even before the season – crowds gather in St. Mark's Square and around the Doge's Palace, at vaporetto stops and in the narrow streets.
The fee will come into force a few days after the inauguration of the Art Biennale, which attracted thousands of people from all over the world.
Venice introduces fees for tourists
According to the regulation of the Venice authorities, the fee will be valid for 29 days for now: April 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 and June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 and July 6, 7, 13 and 14.
The toll system will come into force on a special day: April 25 is the celebration of the city's patron saint, Saint Mark, and also Liberation Day in Italy, commemorating the liberation of northern cities from German occupation.
This public holiday marks the beginning of the mass travel season, which lasts until May Day.
– By introducing a system for booking visits to Venice, we want to improve the way we manage the inflow of tourists – said the head of the tourism department in the city government, Simone Venturini.
– The goal – he explained – is also to create a new balance between the needs of those who want to get to know the beauty of the city and those who live or work in Venice – he said.
The city representative then added: “We are aware that this will be a long process because no one in the world has ever implemented an experiment of this kind before. Our approach is humble and practical; we will make adjustments in the coming months if necessary.”
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– Venice will certainly remain an open city, ready to welcome with open arms those who want to visit it, coming with empathy for its soul, history and beauty – assured the head of the tourism department.
According to Venturini, it is also a way to best adapt public services and possible security measures in the event of a mass influx of guests.
There will be no gates or special entrances
The head of the city's department also informed: “Tourists will not encounter any checkpoints or special entrances. The checks will be random and carried out by qualified employees at the main entry points to the city, such as the railway station and the parking lot at Piazzale Roma.
The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, also assured during a meeting with journalists at the Foreign Press Association in Rome: “This operation is not aimed at closing the city. These are not barracks. There will be no limit on the number of people who can come.”
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– Our system can become a blueprint that other cities around the world can work on, full of the most symbolic and delicate places that should be visited in a polite and respectful way – said the mayor.
– It's not about money – he added – because our first goal is to defend the city and make it a place to live.
– We have an obligation to protect great historical centers in the world. No one has ever tried something like this before, admitted Luigi Brugnaro.
He also emphasized: “No politician would do what I will do.”
The fee will not cover the entire city
There are no discounts on the €5 per person fee. It will not be required for arrival to the Venetian Lido or the islands, including Murano, Burano, Torcello, Sant'Erasmo, Mazzorbo, Mazzorbetto.
The “heart” of the system is a platform in several languages, available at: https://cda.ve.it. By visiting this website you will receive a QR code that must be shown in the event of an inspection in the city. It will contain both information about the payment of the fee and its exemption.
An entry fee to the historic center of Venice will apply to persons over 14 years of age.
According to the regulations, tourists who book a place in a hotel or other accommodation structure, as well as people working, studying and studying in Venice, will be exempt.
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But they also all have to register on the website.
What this will look like in practice in the case of tourists choosing accommodation in the city, the owner of the hotel on Lista di Spagna street, which is crowded with foreigners, explained to PAP: “When you book a place to stay in the city, every person who reserves a place will receive information from us with a link to the website where they should register arrival. Although these tourists do not have to pay the 5 euro fee, we cannot register them as our guests; they all have to do it themselves.
High penalties
Announcements about the upcoming date of entry into force of the fee have been broadcast for several weeks on trains arriving at the Venice Santa Lucia railway station on the Grand Canal. You are informed that the penalty for failure to pay the required fee will range from 50 to 300 euros.
Venice residents interviewed by PAP are divided in their assessment of the city authorities' experimental initiative. Some people hope that the state of tourist “siege” in which they live most of the year will decrease.
There are also skeptics. – I don't think it will change much and I will still have to fight for a seat on the vaporetto, because most of it is occupied by tourists with large suitcases. I don't expect any miracle of greater peace, said an elderly resident of the Cannaregio district.
Main photo source: Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock