The picturesque Italian city of Venice is set to charge entry fees for travelers from next summer, as well as introducing entrance quotas in a large change to tourism in the city. The historic floating city – built on hundreds of small islands – welcomed over 5.5 million visitors in 2019, making it one of the most visited cities in Italy and in Europe.
A UNESCO site along with its famous lagoon, this isn't the first tourism-related change that Venice has made this year, as the city looks to take advantage of the pandemic-affected low volume of travel to reframe its approach to tourism. Here's a closer look at the city's decision to introduce a fee and quota system, plus other changes it has made this year.
Venice To Charge Entrance Fees – Information For Travelers
Trips to Italy aren't complete without a trip to the world's most famous floating city. From its culinary delights to its charming gondola rides, few people can deny that Venice has earned its place on the global travel bucket list. However, to visit and enjoy all the city has to offer doesn't come cheap – and the price of visiting the floating city is set to rise in the coming months.
According to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, not only are quotas set to be put into place that will limit the number of tourists able to visit Venice in a day, but tourists are also set to be charged a fee to enter. Whilst the price has yet to be set in stone, the entrance fee is expected to be anywhere between €3 and €10, depending on the season and the number of tourists that are expected to visit on that particular day.
On top of this, travelers will also have to reserve entrance to the city on a particular day, as the city tries to mitigate the number of people visiting per day – meaning that throngs of travelers jostling for space around St. Mark's Square may be a thing of the past. Turnstiles are set to be installed to control entry as Venice looks to increase the quality of the experience for both visitors and residents.
However, whilst improving the experience might sound like a good idea, not everyone is happy with the new measures. Speaking about the new measures, City councillor Marco Gasparinetti said it would turn the city into a “theme park”, and instead proposed using such measures in busy areas such as St. Mark's Square.
Venice Bans Cruise Ships – What Travelers Should Know
Proposing fees to enter the city isn't the only radical tourism-related idea that Venice has had in the past few weeks. The city also made the decision to ban cruise ships from entering the lagoon, a UNESCO world heritage site. A historic decision that has been years in the making, it will force several cruise operators to rethink their itineraries and tour options.
The ban will ensure that cruise ships heavier than 25,000 tonnes, longer than 180 meters, taller than 35 meters or that use more than a certain amount of fuel when maneuvering are banned from entering. The decision was made in order to protect the city's UNESCO status and came after years of pressure from environmentalists. It came into effect on August 1st.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Jennifer
Monday 23rd of August 2021
What about those who are staying several days? Will we need to worry about quotas?