“Haraci” 5 euros for tourists from today in Venice: “We will make our city viable again”, the mayor pledges* Who are excluded and where will the money go [video]

File Photo A view of the Grand Canal photographed through a window of the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, during the visit of Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China Wang Wentao, in Venice, Italy, 11 April 2024. EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

In order to transform the emblematic city into a “theme park”, the municipal authority of Venice is abandoned, as it takes effect from today entrance ticket 5 euros for those who take day trips.

It is the first time a city in the world has adopted such a measure, which authorities say aims to protect the Unesco world heritage site from the effects of over-tourism, deterring day-trippers and, according to mayor Luigi Brugnaro, makes the city “sustainable” again.

As for the five euro charge

The ticket, which takes effect trial, concerns entry to the historic center of Venice during peak periods, from today, that is, until July 14. It can be obtained by online reservation and valid for day trip tourists only. Those without one will be able to buy a ticket on arrival, with the help of local attendants, who will also carry out random checks at five main arrival points, including Santa Lucia train station. Those without a ticket are at risk fines between 50 and 300 euros.

Ticket holders will also receive a QR code.

Excluded from the measure are local residents, workers, students and children under 14, as well as overnight tourists.

The Council of Venice declared that 5,500 people had booked a ticket for April 25, national holiday in Italy, bringing 27,500 euros to the coffers of the city on the first day. Although Brugnaro denied it was an initiative aimed at harvesting cedars, he promised to lower local taxes for residents if the scheme is successful.

The reactions

However, several committees and residents’ associations have planned protests later in the day, arguing that the fee will do nothing to resolve the issue.

“I can tell you that almost the whole city is against it,” said Matteo Cecchi, who heads Venessia.com, an activist group. “You can’t tax a city, all they do is turn it into a theme park. This is a bad image for Venice (…) Are we kidding?”

Federica Toninello, who heads ASC, a housing association, said: “They think this measure will solve the problem, but they haven’t really understood the consequences of mass tourism in a city like Venice. First, 5 euros will do nothing to deter people. But day-trippers aren’t the problem – it’s things like the lack of affordable housing (…) What we need are policies to help residents, for example, making rules to limit things like Airbnb.”

File Photo Police have cordoned off the area between the bell tower and the entrance to the Saint Mark’s Basilica in St Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy, March 25, 2024 EPA/Maria Ducoli

Others, however, applaud the measure. “It will help regulate tourist flows, which, during certain periods of the year, risk damaging a fragile city like Venice,” Tommaso Cicero, president of the Venice shopkeepers’ association, told Avvenire newspaper.

New rules for guided tours

However, tourists do not always show the required respect and so the municipality has tightened the rules. It is forbidden, among other things, to sit on bridges and stairs, dive in the canals, walk around the city in a bathing suit, feed the pigeons or throw rubbish on the ground. In these cases fines of up to 500 euros. But no one knows exactly if and when tourists will be required to pay fines.

In any case, it is not the main objective of the municipality to raise money with fines on tourists. The special entry fee is expected to yield approx 700,000 euros to the city coffers in the first year. The money will be allocated to cleaning the streets and improving the tourist offer

But that is not all. The new rules for city tours will now apply from August 1. Among other things, the size of the groups will be limited to 25 people. The experienced tour guide believes that groups should be 20 people. She works mainly with smaller groups. “Tourism is of course important for Venice, but the people who live here in the city should not suffer from over-tourism either,” he stresses.

With information from Guardian, Deutsche Welle

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