Venice introduces €5 entry fee to combat overtourism

Venice has launched a pilot program requiring day-trippers to pay a €5 access fee on 29 peak days from April 25 to July 14, 2024, including dates during the Biennale Arte. The online portal (cda.ve.it) opened January 16, 2024, and saw over 2,000 registrations, mostly Veneto residents, but only about 100 day-trippers purchased tickets. Exemptions apply to residents, commuters, students, children under 14, Veneto residents, and overnight guests. Fines for non-compliance start at €50. The fee may double to €10 after the trial. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro frames the initiative as a world-first model for fragile cities, aiming to improve livability and avoid UNESCO's endangered list. The measure targets 'hit-and-run' tourism and follows years of ineffective palliatives. Controls will be at Santa Lucia Station and Piazzale Roma, without turnstiles, using stewards. The old city is covered, not the minor islands. Angela Vettese, author of 'Venezia Vive,' has argued for cultural revitalization instead of restrictive measures.