Venice residents clash with riot police as city launches world’s first tourist entry fee

Venice
became
the
first
city
in
the
world
to
charge
a
payment
for
tourists
in
a
bid
to
alleviate
the
pressures
of
mass
tourism
and
make
the
city
more
livable
for
its
residents.

The
pilot
program
will
exact
a
fee
of
5
euros
($5.4)
from
day-trippers
to
Venice,
one
of
Italy’s
most
picturesque
and
historic
cities.
The
new
fee
came
into
force
on
April
25,
a
national
holiday
in
Italy.

Municipal
workers
were
seen
checking
the
tickets
of
day-trippers
outside
the
front
of
the
fragile
lagoon
city’s
Santa
Lucia
railway
station.
Signs
had
been
erected
to
warn
tourists
about
the
payment
program.

The
charge
applies
to
tourists
arriving
between
8:30
a.m.
local
time
and
4
p.m.,
while
access
is
free
outside
of
those
hours.
Day-trippers
who
fail
to
pay
the
fee
face
fines
between
50
euros
to
300
euros.

Overnight
travelers
who
stay
within
the
municipality
of
Venice
are
exempt
from
the
charge,
but
must
have
a
QR
code
to
pass
through
the
gates
located
at
the
main
access
points
of
the
city.
A
booth
was
set
up
for
visitors
without
access
to
a
smartphone,
Reuters
reported.

Not
everyone
is
supportive
of
the
newly
introduced
charge
for
day-trippers.

Protesters
on
Thursday
were
seen
clashing
with
riot
police
over
the
pilot
program.
Some
held
banners
that
read “No
to
ticket,
Yes
to
houses
and
services
for
all”
as
they
demonstrated
against
the
measure.

Venice
Mayor
Luigi
Brugnaro
said
on
social
media
earlier
in
the
week
that
Venice
would
be
the
first
major
city
to
experiment
with
the
payment
program, “although
overtourism
is
not
a
problem
that
only
concerns
this
city.”

“Through
this
measure
we
want
to
improve
the
quality
of
life
in
#Venezia,
we
want
to
make
it
safer,
cleaner
and
with
more
services,
in
order
to
guarantee
citizens
and
visitors
peace
of
mind,”
Brugnaro
said
Tuesday
in
a
Google-translated
post
on
social
media
platform
X.

“With
courage
and
a
smile,
we
want
to
give
a
future
to
Venice,
which
tomorrow
will
be
in
the
hands
of
our
children.
This
City
will
always
remain
open
and
you
are
all
welcome,
no
one
excluded.
We
are
waiting
for
you!”

Venice
has

toyed
with
the
idea
of
taxing
day
visitors
for
years,
as
one
of
several
measures
to
curb
overtourism
—
which
locals
have
long
blamed
for
driving
up
prices
and
transforming
the
city
into
a
souvenir-laden
theme
park
of
sorts.

Residents,
specifically
the
estimated
50,000
who
live
in
the
city’s
historic
area,
are
far
outnumbered
by
the
some
5.5
million
who
visited
the
city
in
2019,
according
to
Statista
data.
Many
of
these
tourists
disembark
from
cruise
ships
by
the
thousands
to
take
photographs
of
Venice’s
famous
canals
and
city
squares.

—
CNBC’s
Monica
Pitrelli
contributed
to
this
report.