Venice plans to charge a fee of 5 euros a day next year to try to manage the flow of tourists drawn to its historic canals, the city said on Tuesday.
The fee will be applied on a trial basis for 30 days next year, focusing mainly on spring holidays and summer weekends when tourist numbers peak. All visitors over 14 years of age will have to pay.
The objective is to find “a new balance between the rights of those who live, study or work in Venice and those who visit the city”, said Tourism Councilor Simone Venturini.
This is not a money-making measure, he added, saying the fee will only cover the cost of administration.
The exact dates of the plan and how it will be implemented will be determined after final council approval, which is expected next week.
The plan, first discussed in 2019, was initially delayed because of the pandemic, which kept tourists away, and then for technical and procedural reasons.
In the meantime, the visitors returned to invade Venice, with outsiders often far outnumbering the city center's roughly 50 residents, overwhelming its narrow alleys.
Overtourism has been a problem for the fragile river town.
In July, UNESCO experts recommended that Venice and its waters be included in the list of World Heritage in Danger, claiming that Italy was not doing enough to protect the city from the impacts of climate change and mass tourism.
