2023-11-23 20:00:09
Venice authorities on Thursday unveiled a pilot program to charge hikers 5 euros ($5.45) each to enter the fragile lagoon city on peak weekends next year in an effort to reduce the crowds, encourage longer visits and improve residents’ quality of life.
The launch of tourism “contribution” program It came after Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site, narrowly escaped being placed on the UN agency’s danger list earlier this year due to the threat overtourism was posing. having in your delicate ecosystem.
Member States cited the proposed new entry fee in deciding to exclude Venice from the list.
The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, highlighted on Thursday that the rate It is not a new tourist tax nor an attempt to generate additional income. Rather, he said, it is the first experiment of its kind to regulate tourist flows in one of the most visited places in the world, encouraging visitors to avoid periods of high traffic and come on other days.
Tourists in Venice during a heat wave in August. Photo: Reuters
In total, 29 days from April to mid-July (including most weekends) will be subject to the excursion fee during peak hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. m., which means that visitors coming to Venice for dinner or a concert will not have to pay.
Who won’t pay to enter Venice?
Are applied a series of exemptionseven for residents and visitors, students and workers born in Venice, as well as for tourists who have hotel or other accommodation reservations.
You must make a reservation to enter Venice
Starting January 16, a website will be launched, www.cda.ve.itin which visitors You can “reserve” your day in Venice. Hikers pay 5 euros and receive a QR code which is then checked at checkpoints at seven access points in the city, including the main train station.
Visitors with hotel reservations enter their hotel information and also get a QR code to show, without having to pay, since their hotel bill will already include a Venice accommodation fee.
Visitors will be able to “book” their day in Venice through a website. Photo: AP
After COVID-19 closures devastated Venice’s tourism industry, the city of narrow alleys, canals and islands has been trying to rethink your relationship with visitors in a more sustainable way and at the same time seeks to encourage its residents to stay where they are.
Venice is has been forced to take action in response al constant exodus of Venetians to the continent and to pressure from UNESCO and environmentalists, who also successfully lobbied for the government ban large cruise ships pass through St. Mark’s Square and cross the Giudecca canal.
What type of tourists does Venice look for?
Venice has been signaling tourists for the long haul as a key to your survivalsince they tend to spend more.
Brugnaro stated that the new contribution for hikers does not in any way discourage tourism in general, but rather It just wants to manage it better. He acknowledged that the visitor program will likely have flaws and will need to be modified. But he said that after years of study and conversation, the time had come to implement it.
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