Venice Announces Details Of €10 Tourist Entry Fee

It was recently reported that Venice was planning on launching an entry fee scheme in an effort to solve the Italian city’s overtourism problem. The city has officially announced that from January 16, 2023, visitors to Venice will need to pay for the privilege.

Venice releases details of tourist entry fee

First, Venice banned massive cruise ships from the lagoon. Now, Venice is making more efforts to protect this beautiful city by reducing tourism. In fact, the countdown has already begun. Officially, from January 16, 2023, visitors to Italy’s most popular city will have to pay to enter.

Venice’s councilor for tourism, Simone Venturini made the announcement at a press conference on Friday. In what he called a “great revolution,” he said this is a solution to the city’s overtourism problem that has plagued the city for decades.

The ticket price is to range from a €3 ($3.15) minimum up to €10 ($10.40). The reason for the range is that the price is not going to be fixed, but will vary according to the number of visitors. In other words, the more requests for entry, the higher the ticket price.

Venturini said the goal is not to “close the city,” but to get people to book their presence in the city to reduce “tourist peaks,” adding,

Venice is a living city and it has to stay that way.

Exceptions to the rule

The complicated ticket booking system and its online platform are to be unveiled in the fall. Michele Zuin, councilor for the city’s budget, explained that there are many exceptions to the entry ticket mandate.

Among the exemptions are residents and children under 6, as well as homeowners, disabled people, those visiting relatives, or for health reasons, and those attending a sporting or cultural event.

Meanwhile, tourists staying overnight in the city will also avoid paying the entry fee, as they are already paying a tourist tax through their hotel. Zuin added:

It is not a system to make cash but to manage tourist flows. The proceeds from the entrance fee will go to lowering the taxes of Venetians, which are already very high due to the large volume of tourists that need to be accommodated.

Where does the Venice entry fee apply?

The entry fee applies to the historic center of Venice, as well as the following islands:

Lido di Venezia, Pellestrina, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Sant’Erasmo, Mazzorbo, Mazzorbetto, Vignole, S. Andrea, La Certosa, S. Servolo, S. Clemente and Poveglia.

Meanwhile, fines from €50 ($52) up to €300 ($313) will apply for ticket violations.

Post-pandemic crowds in Venice

Since Italy dropped all its COVID-19 entry regulations at the beginning of June, travelers have been swamping the country in time for the 2022 summer season. In April, Venturini told RAI, the state TV network, that the pandemic had made city authorities reflect on the matter of tourism.

Covid made us realize that what was an everyday occurrence before COVID isn’t acceptable anymore – the mentality has changed, as has the sensitivity [towards crowds.

He went on to explain that the booking system will give the city the chance to know how many people are predicted to enter that day. They can then calibrate services according to that number. He also said in April that the portal will flag those who might want to change their minds. Venturini said:

We can say, ‘Dear visitor, we don’t advise coming on this date because it’s Ferragosto [August public holiday] or Easter – there’ll be a lot of people so it will hinder you from having a peaceful visit, and if you make it a week later you can enjoy your visit more.

Meanwhile, the councilor also predicted that Venice won’t be the only city to introduce an entry fee. He believes many other European cities that receive a significant number of daytrippers will be watching Venice in order to understand in what way they can introduce a similar scheme.

Italian village introduces fee for daytrippers

While Venice is the first city to introduce an entry fee, one village already introduced a charge for daytrippers. The Italian village of Civita di Bagnoregio introduced a “symbolic” fee of €1.50 ($1.67) in 2013. At the time, Mayor Francesco Bigiotti planned it as a clever marketing stunt to attract tourists to his village. He described it as a village on a crumbling cliff (pictured above), known as the “dying town.”

It turns out his marketing stunt worked. According to CNN, visitors were so intrigued their numbers grew from 40,000 in 2009, to 1 million in 2018. Obviously, in this case, the fee was planned to bring more, not fewer tourists.