Venice is gearing up to launch a long-debated ticketing system on a trial basis starting from next spring, according to officials who made the announcement on Tuesday, September 5. This initiative will make it mandatory for day-trippers to pay a fee of five euros for access to the historic center of this iconic Italian city. The primary objective of this move is to reduce the overwhelming influx of tourists.
This decision gained approval from the council executive just weeks after Venice received a recommendation from UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, to include the city on its list of World Heritage Sites in danger. This recommendation was largely influenced by the adverse effects of mass tourism.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro affirmed, “Regulating tourist flows in certain periods is necessary, but that does not mean closing the city. Venice will always be open to everyone.”
The ticketing proposal, which has been under discussion for quite some time, still awaits the endorsement of the broader city council, which is scheduled to convene on September 12. Many specifics about the ticketing system, such as the number of tickets to be made available, remain unclear.
Nevertheless, on Tuesday, the council executive agreed to a 30-day trial period, indicating that the system is likely to be operational throughout all public holidays and weekends during the spring and summer of 2024.
The local authority clarified that exemptions from the fee would be granted to students, commuters, residents, and children below the age of 14, as well as tourists who stay overnight in the city. Their statement emphasized, “The objective is to discourage daily tourism in certain periods, in line with the fragility and uniqueness of the city.”
Simone Venturini, the city’s council member for tourism, described Venice as a potential global trailblazer with the introduction of this new system. He emphasized that the intention is not profit-driven, as the proposed five-euro fee would merely cover expenses. Instead, the goal is to strike a “new balance between the rights of those who live, study, or work in Venice, and those who visit the city.”
For years, Venice authorities have been striving to alleviate the strain caused by the increasing number of tourists who flock to the city to visit renowned attractions such as St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. The implementation of the ticketing plan had been repeatedly delayed due to concerns that it might significantly impact tourist revenue and infringe upon people’s freedom of movement. Two years ago, a ban was imposed on massive cruise ships entering the city, redirecting thousands of day-trippers to a more distant industrial port.
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