VENICE – The authorities in Venice are mulling increasing the €5 tourist fee for daytrippers recently introduced and tested as a pilot project as the city battles with multiple challenges.
In this regard, Simone Venturini, the City Councilor overseeing tourism and social cohesion, indicated that the experimental day-tripper payment system, implemented in April, had a limited impact on alleviating overcrowding in the city.
Initially introduced as a response to mass tourism, the fee was piloted for 29 days and concluded recently. The next step involves a consultation phase to determine the project’s future and it is expected that the fee will be jacked up next year.
Despite some success in reducing international visitors, the City Councilor noted persistent large crowds, prompting considerations for additional measures going forward.
“On some weekends there were less people than the same time last year … but no one expected that all the day trippers would miraculously disappear,” he said on Friday.
‘It will be more effective in the coming years when we increase the number of days and lift the price,’ he said without indicating the expected increase in the fee.
It merits mentioning that the city council is looking to discourage daytrippers, especially during weekends and holidays when visitors’ numbers reach 100,000 which is double the number of local residents.
The authorities seem to welcome those who intend to stay long as people with hotel reservations have not had to pay the levy.
Venice has a modest population of around 250,000 people but the footfall of visitors was more than 13 million in 2019. Venice was lucky enough to avoid placement on Unesco’s World Heritage in Danger list.
The UN´s cultural organization said last year that it had stopped short of placing Venice on the list as the participants at the annual meeting in Riyadh decided against a downgrade.
The Italian city has been under Unesco’s watch because of mass tourism and rising water levels and garnered headlines after it was reported that the agency was exploring options to place it on the list.
