The famous Italian city of Venice on Thursday launched a controversial new scheme to charge tourists five Euros (5.43 U.S. dollars) if they only visit for the day, aiming at helping to protect the canal city's delicate infrastructure, prompting mixed responses from tourists and locals.
The fee will only be charged to visitors coming from outside Venice, during peak hours and during peak tourist season. If the trial is successful, it will be extended, officials said. The northern Italian city is the first in the country to unveil such a plan.
The fee will be charged for 29 peak travel days between April 25 and July 14. Tickets must be bought online and anyone entering the city without paying could be subject to a fine of 300 Euros.
The fee will not be charged to residents of the city, children under the age of 14, students, visitors staying in hotels in Venice or people coming for a sporting or work-related events. It will also not apply to those who arrive in the city after 16:00 or before 8:30.
For this scheme, varied groups hold different opinions.
"Absolutely, I feel no problem with it. If they take fifty Euros, that's fine with me. As long as there are less tourists and they invest in the city, that's a good idea," said a tourist.
"We've been warned by our host that we have to register this time for this particular day. But we find it a bit complicated as we want to have a holiday and found no special concerns and complications for our stay as we stay just for one day," said another tourist.
"Everyone can enter the city as long as they pay the fee, and this won't stop tourists from coming to Venice," said a Venetian resident.
The introduction of the fee comes after Venice banned large cruise ships from entering the city's harbor in 2021 and 2022 as they are seen as a risk to the city's infrastructure. However, there has been a backlash to this decision: Norwegian Cruise Lines has removed Venice from its itineraries for this year and next.
Venice is a World Heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is one of the most-visited cities in Europe.
Venice to charge day trip tourists 5 Euros, prompting mixed responses
