Tourists visiting the Italian city of Venice for just a few hours will have to pay an additional €5 on the 29 busiest days of the season from April 25. The municipal council of the Italian city of Doge had already approved the additional tax in mid-September, and the city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, announced the days in which it would be implemented.
The arrangement applies to those 29 days between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., from April 25 to May 5, and from then on every weekend until mid-July. Only on the weekend of June 2 and 3 can Venice be visited without this additional tax.
The government wants to prevent mass tourism from causing greater damage to the city than it does today. More than 5 million tourists visit the city every year, which brings a lot of money to the city’s coffers, but also brings big problems. In the city centre, with San Marco, the Rialto Bridge and numerous canals, no more than 50,000 permanent residents now live. However, on some days more than 100,000 tourists wander around the city.
Day travelers, who make up the majority of visitors, will be able to download a QR code onto their smartphones via a website, which must be shown during checks. If they do not have this code, they risk a fine of between 50 and 300 euros.
Tourists who spend the night in Venice already pay a tourist tax, so they will not have to pay an additional 5 euros. Passengers are also exempt.
When this measure was approved, it was already announced that the intention was to expand this initiative later.
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