Venice scraps entry fees, new rules expected in 2025
This year, there will be no need to pay for entry to Venice anymore. The experiment that began in April, charging a fee of £5, has just concluded. An analysis will be carried out, based on which authorities will decide how fees will be collected from next year.
The fee applied exclusively to day tourists – tourists staying in Venetian hotels were exempted.
No more entry fees to Venice, they will return in 2025
It was reported that on the last day these rules were in effect, Sunday, 14 July, over 10,000 people paid for entry. More than 38,000 hotel guests were exempt from it. On that day, about 8,000 checks were conducted for the required QR code confirming payment or an exemption based on lodging reservations.
The Italian press reports that starting Monday, 15 July, Venice authorities will begin analysing the results of the experiment conducted over 29 selected days.
Based on this, they are to develop new entry rules for the city, which will be in effect from next year. One of the possibilities being considered is raising the fee from £5 to £9 for those who book their visit at the last minute – reported "Corriere della Sera." It is also noted that the matter of the fee may be subject to a referendum in the city.
£1.9 million went to the city's coffers
Statistics indicate that since 25 April, over 447,000 people have paid for entry to Venice, with revenues amounting to about £1.9 million, significantly more than expected. During this time, the city has had 1.3 million visitors. The fewest hotel guests were recorded on Saturday, 13 July – about 37,000.
Mayor Luigi Bugnaro's words are recalled. - Our goal is to make Venice a city where you can live. Most people understand that we want to protect it - he said. He assessed that these new rules can be improved, but "they do not seem to have caused any particular losses."
In press comments, attention is drawn to the opinions of some Venetians who considered the so-called entry ticket a failure because it did not limit the massive influx of tourists and did not improve the quality of life for permanent residents. On the contrary – as they argue – it violates the right to free movement and privacy because visitors' data is being collected.
