Venice set to charge tourists for entry from next summer

ROME: Venice plans to charge visitors for access and set entrance quotas from the summer of 2022, according to newspaper La Stampa.

The Italian city, one of the world’s top tourist destinations, will also require prospective visitors to reserve access in advance, according to the newspaper. Turnstiles will be installed at the main access points of the city’s historical centre.

Measures to control the inflow of tourists had been debated for years before the pandemic all but halted arrivals in 2020. This year, with travel slowly resuming, the restrictions are back on the agenda, as global tourism hotspots try to restrain mass arrivals and improve the quality of the experience for both visitors and residents.

Last month, Italy banned large cruise ships from the Venice lagoon to protect the site from over-tourism, in what might be just a first step in the push to reinvent and regulate mass tourism.

Entry into Venice might cost anything from 3 euros ($3.5) to 10 euros ($11.70), La Stampa reported, depending on the season and on how many tourists are expected on that day. Locals, relatives of residents, and tourists who have booked in a Venice hotel will be among those exempt from the entry fee.

However, charging visitors remains controversial.

City councillor Marco Gasparinetti said it will turn Venice into a “theme park”, according to the newspaper, and proposes to restrict access only for particularly crowded areas, like San Marco square.

AFP/FILE A cruise ship sails across the basin as it leaves Venice, Italy.