At the end of the week, Venice decided on the rules for regulating the entry of tourists. So far, the innovations are minimal – the sale of tickets for those who come on a one-day excursion. The 5-euro fee will apply for just 29 days during the peak summer tourist season of 2024, Il Mondo reported.
Several dates have been selected on which tourists will be able to get into the city center from 08:30 am to 4 pm only using QR codes. Among them – from April 25 to May 5 and on weekends in May – July. Everyone will have to register on the online platform, including those categories who are exempt from the fee. Firstly, to make it more convenient to check the availability of entry rights, and secondly, to accurately count all those arriving in Venice. There is no answer yet as to what limit will be set at which tickets will no longer be sold.
As well as some technical questions. In particular, registration is introduced only for peak dates or forever. The mechanism for providing QR codes to tourists who have booked hotels and already paid the tourist tax there is unknown. Obviously, all other beneficiaries, including local residents, are unlikely to agree to receive one-time tickets every day, even though they are free. But the size of fines for circumventing the rules has already been made public – up to 300 euros.
The problem of overtourism in Venice began to be discussed even before the pandemic. The business did not want to “cut” the main source of income, but on the other hand, there was a need to somehow control the influx of guests. A compromise was reached on the fact that the innovations are experimental in nature. According to Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, this is “a first step, not a revolution,” and the authorities are ready to quickly make changes in an area that is important for the city.