Known for its over-tourism, Venice is home to mounting lines, crowded accommodations, and mushrooming Airbnbs that are driving locals away from the city.
It has long been a goal of the authorities to bring order to the situation — UNESCO’s recent threat to remove the country’s World Heritage status has been a catalyst for action.
The city of Venice will be the first in the world to charge an entrance fee, along with a booking system for daytrippers, and only those with reservations will be allowed entry. Initially announced before the pandemic, the plan was shelved as a result of a lack of tourists in the city.
Visitors can now make reservations for the summer, in advance of the entrance fee being charged in January 2023, as announced by the city’s mayor.
After an Easter weekend that saw 120,000 tourists flood a city of 50,000 residents, with the number rising to 158,000 on Easter Sunday, the mayor announced the reservation system would go ahead.
The councillor responsible for tourism, Simone Venturini, announced that the 2022 booking system will be voluntary with visitors being offered “incentives” to use the portal, including a queue-jumping status at many sites and museums. The 2022 booking system will be run as a trial, leading to the mandatory system in January 2023.
From January, entry fees will range from €3 ($3.25) on a quiet day to €10 ($10.85) on a busy day.
The charge will only apply to daytrippers – overnight guests are exempt from the charge. It is intended to discourage the “hit and run” tourists who descend on Venice, spend little money in local businesses, and litter the city.