VENICE – Top European destination, Venice is planning to start charging an admission fee becoming the fresh tourist hotspot to introduce such a ‘tax’.
The city council said on Tuesday that the fee would be charged from next year to try to manage the flow of tourists coming to the historic canals.
It has been announced that the admission fee will be applied on a trial basis for 30 days in 2024, focusing mainly on spring bank holidays and summer weekends when tourism is at its zenith.
As far as the age benchmark is concerned, all visitors over the age of 14 will have to pay the admission fee.
The aim was to find “a new balance between the rights of those who live, study or work in Venice and those who visit the city,” Venice tourism councilor Simone Venturini said and added that the initiative is not a money-making move.
The official clarified that the fee would only cover the cost of administering the scheme.
Regarding the exact dates of the plan and how it will be run, the travel experts are awaiting next week when the council gives final approval.
The plan was first explored in 2019 but like many other initiatives, Covid also postponed this admission fee implementation but as the social distancing protocols have been lifted, tourists are being drawn to the city with each passing day.
Previously In July, the United Nations experts warned that Italy’s Venice remains under serious threat, despite the efforts put in by the administration to preserve the fragile ecosystem.
In line with the same concerns, the United Nations’ culture body, UNESCO, proposed in a recently released document to include Venice and its lagoon on its World Heritage in Danger list.
UNESCO stated the city had not made enough progress in preventing damage from mass tourism, climate change and development projects. The agency has said the corrective measures taken by the Italian administration “are still insufficient.”
The UNESCO list, which includes 55 endangered sites from across the world, is aimed at increasing conservation, according to the agency, and including a site on the list commits the United Nations to develop a plan of corrective measures jointly with local authorities and then oversee the implementation.
Italy is frequented by visitors and its captivating city Venice offers numerous must-visit spots for tourists. One can stroll through St. Mark’s Square, home to St. Mark’s Basilica and Campanile and glide on a gondola through enchanting canals.
