18 January 2024 , 17:23
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A tourist hotspot has a new €5 (£4.20) fee for every day-tripper entering the city on certain days.
The platform for visitors to purchase the pass being levied by authorities in Venice has now gone live. It allows visitors to make their payment before arriving. Officials have officially enforced the entry charge, also known as the Venice Access Fee, for day visitors sightseeing in the ancient City of Canals during 29 designated dates across the year.
The initiative aims to strike a balance between preserving the daily life of Venice residents and providing an "exceptional experience" for visitors, the Italian National Tourist Board has said in a statement. The fee does not apply for visitors that stay overnight in the city.
This Access Fee initiative is designed to discourage daily tourism during peak periods. The system issues a QR code upon payment which will then be checked upon entry to the city, it is understood. The fee is applicable on specific days from 25 April to 5 May and on weekends in May, June and July, from 8.30am to 4pm.
Venice is trying to control the number of people who visit the city (Getty Images for Scuderia AlphaT)The authorities hope that the fee will encourage tourists to avoid peak times and visit when Venice is a little quieter, in a bid to stop those living there from being overwhelmed by the throngs of tourists.
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Three decades ago, more than 120,000 people called Venice home. Today, there are 55,000. By 2030, some demographers predict, there could be no more full time residents, Responsible Travel reports.
This is not the first step the Venetian authorities have taken to dampen the impacts of overtourism. An Italian government committee ruled in 2017 that cruise ships over 55,000 tonnes will be banned from entering St Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal from 2021. Rather than docking in the historic centre of the city, they now have to dock in Marghera on the mainland.
Despite this, too many tourists and rising sea levels could see Venice suffer "irreversible" damage, the UN's cultural agency has said. The unique and iconic Italian city has been recommended for Unesco's World Heritage in Danger list, along with the lagoon which surrounds the 120 islands that make it up.
The UN organisation has said Italy is not doing enough to protect the city from the impact of climate change and mass tourism, arguing that Venice faces "long-standing but urgent issues" that are not being solved.
Justin Francis, CEO of Responsible Travel, expressed frustration at the damage being done to Venice. He said: “How has this beautiful city ended up in this position? For decades tourism has been threatening Venice. They’ve found it impossible to confront the growth of tourists visiting from cruise ships or as Airbnb guests. Now we end up with segregation of tourists and local people.
"It seems it’s now official that Venice has been reduced to a theme park. Tourism is about bringing people together, residents and visitors, and when done properly, both parties should reap the benefits. It should never be about segregation.”