A gondolier rides his gondola near the Rialto Bridge on a foggy day during the Venice Carnival on January 27 in Venice, Italy. Photo credit: REUTERS
The story so far: On April 25, the city of Venice, Italy introduced an entry fee for visitors to the city to control tourism.
How much is the entrance fee to Venice?
Day-trippers arriving in the city between 8.30am and 4pm will now have to pay €5. Overnight visitors are not charged, nor are residents, passengers, students or children under 14. As part of the trial period, the entrance fee can be paid online and is only required to enter the historic center of Venice, which applies to 29 Peak. Days from April 25 to July 14. Violators face fines ranging from €50 to €300.
What has been the response?
Some locals consider it a “joke”, arguing that it could turn Venice into a ‘theme park’. Several residents’ associations protested that this was a political ploy to prevent tourists from visiting St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. On its first day, 5,500 individuals bought tickets, bringing in €27,500, which may be enough to cover operating costs.
According to Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, it is a “first-of-its-kind experiment” to reduce overcrowding, encourage longer stays and improve the quality of life for locals in one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. It is an attempt to find a new balance between residents and visitors. It helps to collect basic data and control the flow of visitors. But some have also brought up issues related to privacy.
Is congestion a problem in Venice?
The introduction of the tourist tax comes after Venice managed to avoid being added to UNESCO’s danger list last year due to the damage tourism has caused to its fragile ecosystem. Due to mass tourism, the main island of Venice, once the heart of a mighty maritime republic, has lost more than 1,20,000 inhabitants since the early 1950s. The population fell to fifty thousand. With 3.2 million overnight guests and 30 million day-trippers annually in the historic center in 2022, the city will experience congestion when the number of day-trippers reaches 30,000-40,000. Day-trippers are thought to contribute very little to the local economy.
What about sustainability?
Venice is making efforts to reestablish a more sustainable relationship with tourists. Pressure from UNESCO and other environmentalists eventually forced the authorities to ban large cruise ships from passing through the Giudecca Canal and past St. Mark’s Square. A positive spillover effect of the Venice entrance tax would reduce the rapidly increasing number of unauthorized Airbnbs within the city. People operating illegal rentals must legally register (and pay taxes) because anyone staying overnight is required to disclose where they live.
What about other popular sites?
Overtourism is a problem in many other European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona and London. Tens of thousands of Spanish citizens recently protested in the Canary Islands, demanding a limit on the number of tourists allowed to visit the archipelago.
Seville’s main Plaza de España also requires a fee to enter.
A small entry price may be just the beginning. The Italian town of Bagnoreggio charged visitors in 2018 with parts of the town collapsing to raise money for its preservation, and it succeeded. One of the most visited places in Wales is the town of Portmeirion in North Wales, which is one of the few British towns that charges an entrance fee.
Can India follow suit?
Similarly, India, home to a large number of tourist destinations, can certainly earn a lot from tourism and at the same time deter tourists who generate meager income.