Venice to charge tourists up to €10 to visit

It’s the latest move in ongoing measures to combat overtourism in the city

Venice will start charging travellers to visit from summer 2022 onwards.

Several measures have been proposed to control tourism in the Italian city, newspaper La Stampa has reported, such as an online booking system and a fee to enter the city.

Visitors who have paid are expected to enter the city via Disneyland-style electronic turnstiles.

The proposed fee will vary between €3 and €10, reported La Stampa, depending on whether you’re visiting in low or high season.

Residents, their relatives and children under six will be exempt.

People “staying in local hotels” are also reported to be exempt, suggesting that day-trippers and cruise ship passengers will be the main types of tourist targeted.

The city’s authorities have been talking about imposing an entry fee for years, with the original plans for a tourist tax and entry system being slated for summer 2019.

The measures were then delayed by the pandemic, when visitor numbers dropped dramatically.

Venice is now back up to around 80,000 visitors a day.

Last week, lawmakers approved the proposed measures, The Times reported on Monday, which are expected to be imposed from next summer.

Past measures suggested or imposed by Venice’s authorities include segregating tourists and locals in different areas of the city during peak Easter travel times, fining tourists €500 for sitting down and setting up a control room to track the movements of every tourist.

Earlier this summer, large cruise ships were banned from sailing into the city’s lagoon.