Venice does not want to die of success. Arguably one of the world’s most popular destinations, not just Europe, Veneto’s capital has long sought to contain the massive influx of travelers and bring its lucrative tourism model into line with the few neighbors still residing here. . It removed cruise ships from its historic center two years ago, and with the impact of the pandemic still fresh, authorities proposed a system to track tourists’ movements and bookings. smart phone. Now they decided to go one step further. Like? A new toll is being created for visitors entering the city.

It is a must-visit place for anyone who wants to see Venice’s most symbolic neighborhoods and canals at certain hours and especially on busy days. Charging fees to visit certain landmarks is not new, but Beware to assume Being the first major city in the world to implement a measurement of this scale.

City of canals and tolls. Venice is the city of canals, carnivals and masks. selfies framing… and tolls. Authorities have decided to take the unusual measure of charging tourists a five-euro fee to visit the historical and architectural center of Venice. Of course, the measure is very limited, at least for now: It is limited to a certain area, valid only on certain days and hours, and includes an extensive list of exceptions.

“No politician would take such measures. It is easier to remain inactive and not look for solutions. We are trying to make the city more practical and livable,” says mayor Luigi Brugnaro. But neither his words nor the numerous exceptions or limited nature of the measure prevented it from creating diversity of opinion both within Italy and outside Italy or outside Venice.

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29 days on the calendar. The first key to the measure is that the fee will only apply for 29 days. The first was yesterday, Thursday, April 25, a day of celebration in Italy known as the Festival of Liberation. This rate will continue to apply for the remainder of the month on May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26; On June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 and July 6, 7, 13 and 14. The list is also available on the City of Venice’s official website; It is stated here that “an entrance fee must be paid” for any day to enter Venice. Another important point is that the application will only be applied during the busiest hours, that is, from 8.30 in the morning to 16.00 in the evening.

Maps and street maps. If you plan to visit Venice, be careful: it matters when. And it matters where. The entrance fee is applied on certain days and in the area known as the Old Town, where many tourist attractions come together. Visitors passing through Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto or Stazione Marittima without accessing the paid old town are excluded. Also, tourists who want to reach the San Giobbe pier from certain points or visit the smaller islands of the lagoon. The map and detailed street map are available on the Vènzia Unica website.

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Beware of exceptions. Another piece of information that visitors should clearly know is the list of exceptions. The pass fee does not apply to those staying in hotels in the city and thus already paying a tax known as the “tourist tax” for spending the night there, ranging from one to five euros per person per night. time, place and accommodation.

Children under 14 years of age, residents or born in Venice, workers and students, people with a disability card or residents of the Veneto region are also exempt from the access fee. Vènezia Unica website. Some of these exceptions must be accredited and require registration.

“Protect and deter”. “Of course we must protect residents’ spaces and prevent visitors from coming on certain days,” says Venice councilor Simone Venturini. To understand his words and the rate, you need to know the data managed by the city, whose local population has fallen in recent years, making itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

Two years ago the population of the historic center, not counting small islands in the lagoon or on the mainland, was below 50,000, a far cry from the figures used in the 1970s. More than 120,000 residents. Meanwhile, the tourism boom means it receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The BBC states that the city receives around 30 million each year. It says the main island of Venice alone attracted 3.2 million visitors who spent the night there in 2022. Guardian. On peak days, around 40,000 people come to the city.

opening day. To speed up the implementation of the fee and as part of the pilot plan, Venice has assigned staff responsible for remembering the requirement and assisting those who have not downloaded the access QR code. There are physical payment points for those who do not want or cannot use their phones. Failure to comply with the new regulations attracts large fines of between 50 and 300 euros.

The tax left some impressions on its first day, with tourists confused and criticism from opponents, including local residents, who felt it infringed on their freedom of movement. “This sets a dangerous precedent,” explains one of the activists demonstrating against the tax: “We are the only city in the world where you have to pay to enter.” Skeptics of the measure say it affects the daily lives of Venetians, forcing them to undergo checks and proving they are exempt, and question what use the money will do.

Image | Hervé Simon (Flickr)

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