Several committees and associations of residents of Venice organized protests this Thursday, 25th, against the collection of a entrance fee for visitors to the postcard Italyaccusing local authorities of transforming the UNESCO world heritage site into a “theme park”.
The new measure, which came into force this Thursday, requires tourists to pay 5 euros (around R$27) to visit the historic center of Venice and aims to discourage excessive tourism (“overtourism“), making the city “livable” again, according to the city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro.
Venice has lost more than 120,000 inhabitants since the beginning of the 1950s due to problems caused by mass tourism. However, many Venetians opposed the idea, arguing that the tax would not solve these problems and calling for affordable housing.
Tax for tourists
Venice is the first major city in the world to charge an entry fee for tourists. The measure is valid until July 14th, when its pilot period ends, but will only be applied on 29 peak days, mainly during weekends. Residents, people just passing through, students, children under 14 and tourists staying overnight in the city are exempt from the fee.
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People planning to visit Venice’s historic center will need to purchase their tickets online, with payment verification done through a QR code, or upon arrival at the location. Tickets will be checked randomly at the five main arrival points and visitors who fail to purchase may receive fines of 50 euros to 300 euros (R$276 to R$1,660).
According to COn the city council, 5,500 people reserved tickets for this April 25th, which will bring 27,500 euros (R$ 152.5 thousand) to the public coffers. If the measure is successful, Brugnaro promised he would make a tax cut for locals.
