[News] Venice will force "fleeting" tourists to book and pay fees to visit the city: Measure will apply from January 2023

[FNX Magokiler]

The authorities say that with this they will try to manage the flow of visitors who often outnumber the inhabitants, preventing movement on foot in the alleys and pedestrian bridges.

Starting in January, Venice will force "fleeting" tourists - who stay in the city for just one day - to make reservations and pay fees to visit the historic city of canals. The new rules were announced on Friday and will take effect on January 16, 2023. Authorities say they will try to manage the flow of visitors, who often outnumber the inhabitants, preventing movement on foot in alleys and pedestrian bridges.

Tourists who choose not to spend the night in hotels or other accommodations will have to make an online reservation, indicating the day of the visit, and pay a fee of between 3 and 10 euros (3.15 and 10.5 dollars) per person. , depending on whether it is done in advance, if it is the high season or if the city is crowded. Violators can pay fines of up to 300 euros ($315) if they are caught without having paid for their reservation with a QR code. About 80% of tourists go to Venice just to spend the day. In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, some 19 million day trippers visited Venice, earning just a fraction of the revenue of those who spent at least one night. Venice's tourism commissioner has rejected the idea that the measure is intended to limit the number of outsiders who go to Italy's most visited city.

 

 

"We are not talking about reductions in numbers. We are talking about incentives and disincentives," Simone Venturini told a news conference.
He had been talking about the reservation and the rate for a few years, but it was put on hold during the pandemic. With the covid-19 restrictions, tourism almost disappeared from Venice and residents were able to enjoy their city for the first time in decades. Mass tourism began in the 1960s. Visitor numbers steadily increased while residents dwindled, weighed down by congestion, the cost of delivering food and other goods in a city without cars, and frequent floods that damage homes. and business. Since those who stay in hotels and pensions pay a tax for it, they are exempt from reservations and the fee. Others exempt are children under the age of 6, people with disabilities, and owners of vacation homes in Venice who pay property tax. Excursionists arriving on cruise ships will have to pay, unless the cruise company pays a fee to the city.

 

 

https://www.emol.com/noticias/Internacional/2022/07/02/1065789/venecia-turistas-reservas-pagar-tarifas.html