Topline
The city of Venice, one of Italy’s most popular tourist spots, on Thursday became the first city in the world to impose an entry fee for visitors as it attempts to clamp down on overcrowding from holidaymakers—but the new rule has prompted protests from residents who say they don’t want the historic city to be seen as a “theme park.”
A view of Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Key Facts
Starting Thursday, visitors entering Venice will have to pay 5 euros per day if their visit falls on any of the 29 select dates and times during the city’s peak tourism season—though there are numerous exceptions.
Visitors can pay the fee online and will be given a QR code that they can present at the city’s entrance points in order to gain access to the city—attempting to enter the city without a code, entering on a date other than the date specified in the code or lying to obtain an exemption can result in a fine ranging from 50 to 300 euros.
City officials describe the initiative as an “experiment” necessary to protect Venice, which Mayor Luigi Brugnaro described as “fragile” and “ancient”—city officials claim the fee program won’t raise money for the municipality when balanced out against the costs of launching it, and that it’s only purpose is to help better regulate the city’s tourism.
But a few hundred residents reportedly took to the streets Thursday to protest the fee, arguing that the measure will do nothing to curb the flow of overtourism and ignores the core problems that tourism creates for residents—like a housing shortage caused by a high number of homes converted into short-term rentals.
Others felt that the fee would create a sense that Venice was like a theme park—some carried signs that read “No to ticket for Vene-Land,” according to Reuters.
Crucial Quote
“All they’re doing is transforming it into a theme park,” said resident Matteo Secchi, according to the Guardian. “This is a bad image for Venice.”
Key Background
Venice has long grappled with overtourism concerns, pausing only briefly during the pandemic but since ramping up again. A 2020 study by the Department of Economics at the Ca’Foscari University of Venice found that the city had 30 million visitors each year—with more than 20 million believed to be spending no more than a day in the city. The high tourism creates unique challenges for residents, who are reportedly seeing longtime stores and basic amenities replaced with tourist stops such as souvenir shops and restaurants,while the explosion of Airbnbs and other short-term rentals have created a housing shortage. Last year, the number of beds available to tourists reportedly surpassed the number of beds available for full-time residents. The tourism raises concerns among officials about Venice’s integrity, given its ancient history and architecture. Last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization warned in a report that Venice could be considered an endangered cultural site, citing tourism as one of the reasons, though it ultimately backed off from formally adding the city to its endangered list.
Big Number
Less than 50,000. That’s how many residents now live in Venice—a number that’s been in steady decline from at least 175,000 in the 1950s, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Tangent
Venice is experimenting with artificial intelligence to inform visitors of the change. The city launched a series of informational videos featuring AI-generated translations in a slew of languages on its official website.
