The countdown is on. The privilege will be available to visitors to Venice, the jewel in Italy's tourism crown, starting January 16, 2023.
It will be the first city to charge an entry fee in the world. Simone Venturini (Venice's tourism councilor) announced the launch date at a press conference Friday.
Venturini described the new measure as a "great revolution" and a solution to the overtourism problem the lagoon city has struggled with for decades.
The ticket price will be between three and 10 euros. The price of the ticket will not be fixed. It will change depending on how many people request entry.
Venturini explained that the goal is not to "close down the city", but to get people booked to their presence in order to lower the "tourist peak". Venturini stated, "Venice has to be a living city."
There are exceptions
This fall will see the unveiling of the complex ticket booking system and its online platform. Michele Zuin (councilor for the budget) explained that there are many exceptions to this mandate.
Residents and children under six years old will be exempt.
Overnight guests at hotels will be able to avoid the entrance fee, as they already pay a tourist tax through their hotel.
Zuin stressed that it is not a way to make money, but to manage tourist flows. Venetians already have high taxes due to the huge number of tourists who need to be accommodated. The entrance fee will help lower them.
For the Venice Historic Center and the following islands, the entrance fee is applicable:
Lido di Venezia, Pellestrina, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Sant'Erasmo, Mazzorbo, Mazzorbetto, Vignole, S. Andrea, La Certosa, S. Servolo, S. Clemente and Poveglia.
Fines for ticket violations can range from 50 to 300 Euros.
Mentality after a pandemic
Italy has dropped all Covid-19 entry restrictions at the beginning of June, and tourists have been flooding into the country in preparation for the 2022 summer seasons.
Venturini, a state TV network, told RAI in April that the pandemic made the city authorities reflect.
He said, "Covid made it clear that what was routine before Covid isn’t acceptable anymore -- our mentality has changed as well as our sensitivity [to crowds],"
He said that the booking system would allow him to "know how many people are expected to be there that day and then calibrate services based on that number."
Venturini stated in April that the portal would alert people if they change their minds.
He said, "Dear visitor, it's not advisable to come on this date as it's Ferragosto [August Public Holiday] or Easter. There'll be many people so it will hamper you from having peaceful visits. But if you wait a week, you'll enjoy your visit more."
Venturini also predicted Venice wouldn't be last to institute a charge.
He said that he believed many European cities, which have significant daytrippers, are looking at us to see if they can implement a similar scheme.
Venice is the first city to charge a fee. However, daytrippers can already pay a fee in one Italian village. In 2013, Civita di Bagnoregio introduced an "symbolic fee" of EUR1.50 ($1.67). It was a marketing stunt by Francesco Bigiotti to attract tourists to his village, which is located on a crumbling rock cliff.
Visitors were so attracted by the fee that they increased their visits from 40,000 in 2009 up to 1 million in 2018.
Main image: Venetian crowds at St. Mark's Square before the pandemic. (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)
