Judges checked tourists’ access to QR codes outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on Thursday.Luca Bruno/AP Hide caption
Toggle caption Luca Bruno/AP
Judges checked tourists’ access to QR codes outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on Thursday.
Luca Bruno/Associated Press
VENICE, Italy — Under the spotlight of global media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice on Thursday launched a pilot program to charge day-trippers a 5 euro (about $5.35) admission fee. Officials hope this will deter tourists from visiting on peak days. Making cities more livable for a shrinking population.
Visitors arriving at Venice’s main train station were greeted by a large sign listing the 29 dates until July for the pilot phase of the plan, and separate entrances were also designated for tourists and residents, students and workers. .
“We need to find a new balance between tourists and residents,” said Simone Venturini, head of the city’s tourism board. “There is,” he said. There are tourists on certain days. ”
However, not all residents are convinced of the effectiveness of the new system to discourage mass tourism, and only a population rebound can restore balance to a city whose narrow streets and water buses are often clogged with tourists. claims.
Hundreds of Venetians protested the program, marching festively through the city’s main bus terminal holding banners that read “No to tickets, yes to services and housing.” The protesters briefly scuffled with police in riot gear who blocked them from entering the city, before changing course and entering across another bridge, escorted by plainclothes police. The demonstration ended peacefully in the square.
On Thursday, citizens and activists held a protest in Venice against the Venice Tax.Luca Bruno/AP Hide caption
Toggle caption Luca Bruno/AP
On Thursday, citizens and activists held a protest in Venice against the Venice Tax.
Luca Bruno/Associated Press
Tourists arriving at Central Station were met by almost as many journalists as stewards who politely guided those unaware of the new requirements through the process of downloading the QR code to pay the fare.
Ariana Cecilia, a tourist visiting Venice for the first time from Rome, said she had to pay to enter her home city and thought it was “weird” that tourists had to go through separate entrances. Told. She and her boyfriend were staying in nearby Treviso, so I downloaded her QR code if I wanted to, but even as I gazed at Venice’s canals for the first time, I was taken aback by the sign at the entrance and my boyfriend’s instructions. I was left stabbed. I’ll give you a ticket.
On the other side of the entrance, workers in yellow vests were conducting surprise inspections at the station. Violators face fines of between 50 and 300 euros ($53 and $320), but authorities said “common sense” had been applied during the launch.
This requirement only applies to those arriving between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Access outside of those hours is free and unchecked.
Venice has suffered from overtourism pressures for years, and authorities hope this pilot project will help provide more accurate figures to better manage the phenomenon.
The city is able to track hotel visitor numbers, which saw 4.6 million visitors last year, down 16% from pre-pandemic highs. But until recently, the number of day trippers who make up the bulk of Venice’s crowds could only be estimated.
A judge checks tourists’ QR code access outside Venice’s main train station.Luca Bruno/AP Hide caption
Toggle caption Luca Bruno/AP
A judge checks tourists’ QR code access outside Venice’s main train station.
Luca Bruno/Associated Press
Smart control rooms set up during the pandemic track arrivals through cell phone data, broadly confirming pre-pandemic estimates of 25 million to 30 million arrivals a year, city economic officials say. said top executive Michelle Zuin. This includes both day visitors and overnight guests.
But Zuin said the data is incomplete.
“It’s clear that we get more reliable data from donations” paid by day trippers, he said.
Venturini said the city would be under stress if the number of day trippers reached 30,000 to 40,000. On busy days, local police will set up one-way streets for pedestrians to keep the crowd moving.
Residents opposed to the day-tripper tax say the solution to Venice’s woes is to increase the number of residents and necessary services, limit short-term rentals to create more housing, and bring families back from the mainland. claims.
Venice reached a significant milestone last year when the number of tourist beds exceeded the number of official residents for the first time, but the number is now below 50,000 in the historic center with its picturesque canals. .
“Issuing tickets to the city will not reduce the number of tourists visiting by one unit,” said Tommaso Cacciari, an activist who organized a protest on Thursday against the measure.
“You pay a ticket to ride the subway, go to a museum or an amusement park. You don’t pay a ticket to enter the city. This is the last symbolic step in a project to kick off this idea of city government. ‘The residents left Venice,’ he said.
Venetian authorities expected around 10,000 paid day trip arrivals on Thursday. More than 70,000 others had downloaded QR codes indicating exemptions, such as those working in Venice or residents of the Veneto region. Hotels in Venice, including mainland districts like Marghera and Mestre, must provide a QR code to prove your stay, including accommodation tax.
Venturini, the tourism official, said there was growing interest in Venice’s pilot program from other regions struggling with mass tourism, including other Italian art cities and overseas municipalities such as Barcelona, Spain and Amsterdam.
But Marina Rodino, who has lived in Venice for 30 years, doesn’t think fees are a panacea. The apartments next to her residential building, near the famous Rialto Bridge, were once occupied by her family, but are now short-term rental apartments.
The butcher shop on the corner closed. However, she noted that the new entrance fee requirement could lead to more noise as young people flood into the city in the evening for traditional aperitifs.
She handed out mock European Union passports of “Venice, the Open City” and highlighted the irony of the new system, citing its legal status, citing the Italian constitution that guarantees its citizens “the right to move or reside freely.” was objecting to. national territory. ”
“This is not a natural oasis. This is not a museum. This is not Pompeii. This is a city and we need to fight to keep families in our homes and shops open. That’s what we need to do to counter this wild tourism.” ” Rodino said.
