05 March 2024 , 14:54
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Tourism officials are planning to charge visitors to one of the most iconic spots in southern Spain to protect it from falling to pieces.
The Spanish city of Seville may soon join a list of hotspots introducing fees for visitors as it looks at a tourism tax for those visiting the Plaza de España. The public square will no longer be that if the city's mayor has his way and starts controlling who can enter and when.
The half moon-shaped plaza is a big tourist attraction and one which sticks in the mind. It has brick-and-tile floors, impressive fountains and Venetian bridges. The area is a cultural hotspot in the city, hosting as it does many bands, plays and fashion events.
The neo-Moorish palatial structure framed with tall towers on both ends and four bridges over a moat is recognisable in a number of high profile films, such as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
The square is the most popular tourist spot in Seville (Getty Images)Now the city’s Mayor has announced preliminary plans to implement a fee for accessing this ornate square. Mayor Jose Luis Sanz took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce: "We are considering closing Plaza de España and introducing a fee for tourists to fund its preservation and enhance safety.”
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The mayor's post included videos showcasing damaged facades, missing tiles and stained walls. The clip also highlighted the presence of illegal vendors in stairwells and alcoves, attempting to make the most of the throngs of visitors to the area. Money raised through the proposed fee would go towards the maintenance and protection of the historic square, as well as 24-hour surveillance.
Locals and residents would be exempt from the Seville tourism tax when exploring the structure, which is at the centre of the third most visited in Spain. It receives more than three million tourists a year and has a population of 700,000. Spain is in turn one of the world’s most visited countries, with tourism representing 13% of GDP.
Due to the square's fame and popularity among tourists, the Association for the Conservation of Heritage in Andalusia, Adepa requested in 2018 that the plaza be closed with the aim of guaranteeing its conservation.Seville is far from the only European city which is grappling with the difficult question of how to deal with overtourism.
It was announced last year that Venice will start charging tourists a new daily fee from Spring this year in a bid to deter huge crowds from overwhelming the City of Water. The scheme, which will run for 30 days initially as a trial, is designed to reduce over tourism in the city, which some fear is literally and figuratively eroding the Queen of the Adriatic. The plans come after UNESCO raised the alarm about the impact the high volume of visitors were having on Venice and the need for urgent action.
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