That tourism is out of control in Venice is clearly evident by the number of initiatives and formulas it has launched in recent months. Mass tourism in a residential area with inadequate geography threatens the ecosystem itself and its facilities. So they set limits on large groups, fined those who overreached, and even monitored phones. They also imposed a pioneer toll, an entrance fee that went very well.

News. As part of its efforts to reduce mass tourism, Venice has doubled the entrance fee collection period for tourists in 2025, increasing the application period from 29 days to 54 days. As we said at the time, the measure, which was successfully tested last year, will be carried out on weekends and holidays between April and July, in order to “give Venice the respect it deserves”, according to Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. .

Collections and exemptions. If you are going to Venice on the days when the toll comes into force, you should know that visitors who book in advance will pay 5 euros. For bookings of less than four days, the fee will be 10 euros, while Veneto residents, students and those staying in the city will be exempt from the fee (although they already pay a fee to spend the night there, it is known) (from one to one per person per night, depending on season, location and accommodation). as a “tourist tax” of five euros).

Children under the age of 14 or people with a disabled card are also exempt from access fees. The full list can be accessed in detail on the Vènezia Unica website. Additionally, some of these exceptions need to be proven and recorded. To facilitate control, the city council states that visitors must carry a QR code on their phones, and those who fail to comply may face significant (unspecified) fines.

Everything went well the first time. The new policy would make no sense if previous tests had not been successful. The entry fee for the first phase in 2024 achieved 2.4 million euros in just eight days; This figure exceeded all the council’s expectations, but the cost of administration and the system reached 3 million euros, which raises doubts about the overall profitability of the communication campaign.

Of course, there are critics of the measure, such as city councilor Giovanni Andrea Martini; These argue that the fee turns Venice into a kind of “museum” or “amusement park” without adequately catering to the large influx of tourists.

Maps and street maps. We experienced this in the first test as well. 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.

The Venice that is old and no longer exists. Two years ago, the population of its historic center was already below 50,000, not counting the small islands in the lagoon or on the mainland; this was a far cry from the figures used since the 1970s. It lost more than 120,000 residents. Meanwhile, the tourism boom means it receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

BBC pointed out that the city generates approximately 30 million in revenue every year. The main island, Venice alone, attracted 3.2 million visitors who spent the night there in 2022, The Guardian noted. On peak days, around 40,000 people come to the city. UNESCO has even warned about the negative impact of mass tourism and climate change on Venice, suggesting that the city could be added to the list of world heritage in danger.

Additionally, large cruise ships have been banned from entering the historical center of Venice since 2021 due to their environmental impact and the damage they cause to the city’s foundations; This further exacerbates the problem of frequent flooding.

Image | US Army Africa, Tim McCune

in Xataka | Venice was so tired of the influx of tourists that it invented a new toll for them: the entrance fee.

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