The first day of implementation of the controversial measure in Venice to charge a €5 “ticket” to tourists visiting the city for one day was marred by incidents.
Protesters reacting to the measure clashed with heavy police forces with images making the rounds on international news agencies.
“Not on the ticket”
Residents’ committees and associations have planned protests today, the first day of the measure’s implementation, the Daily Mail reports.
The incidents escalated, with protesters trying to break the cordon at entry points into the city.
Some of the banners read ‘No to the ticket, yes to homes and services for all’
For other tourists, those in gondolas, it was again an opportunity to photograph the episodes.
The pilot program will impose a sort of €5 fee on day-trippers in Venice, one of Italy’s most picturesque and historic cities that welcomes millions of visitors each year.
Municipal workers were seen checking visitors’ tickets in front of the Santa Lucia train station. Signs were erected to warn tourists of the payment scheme.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on social media in the past few days that Venice will be the first major city to experiment with the entrance fee payment scheme, “although overtourism is not a problem unique to this city”.
“Through this measure we want to improve the quality of life in Venice, we want to make it safer, cleaner and with more services, in order to guarantee tranquility to citizens and visitors,” Brugnaro said on Tuesday in a post on X.
“With courage and a smile, we want to give a future to Venice, which tomorrow will be in the hands of our children. This city will always remain open and you are all welcome, without any exclusion. We are waiting for you”, concluded the post of the mayor of Venice.
Venice has been flirting with the idea of taxing day visitors for years, as one of several measures to curb overtourism – which locals say is a major cause of rising prices and spoiling the city’s character.
Residents, specifically the roughly 50,000 who live in the city’s historic district, far outnumber the roughly 5.5 million who visited the city in 2019, according to Statista data, as CNBC points out.
