Venice city council officials have unveiled a plan to introduce an entry fee aimed at addressing the issue of overtourism. The fee will be implemented as a trial on 30 specific days, primarily targeting spring bank holidays and summer weekends during peak tourist seasons.
Starting from the age of 14, all visitors will be required to pay this fee. Simone Venturini, the council’s member responsible for tourism, emphasized that this fee is not intended as a revenue-generating measure but rather to cover the operational costs associated with the trial program. He stressed that the primary objective is to establish a new equilibrium between the interests of Venice’s residents, students, and workers and the influx of tourists.
Venturini stated, “Charging an entry fee to access a city is a global first, so it is natural that we may need to make adjustments and improvements as we move forward.”
The specific dates for implementing this plan, which was initially proposed in 2019, and the operational details will be determined following the final approval by the city council, scheduled for next week.
In a related development, UNESCO recently warned that Venice should be included on a list of World Heritage Sites at risk of “irreversible” damage due to “overwhelming” tourism.
It’s important to note that the entry fee will be applicable solely to day visitors and will not affect hotel or Airbnb guests.