VENICE Last April, Venice became the world’s first city with an entrance fee – but only for certain visitors and at certain times.
The five-euro admission ticket was in test use in the city from April to July. The entrance fee had to be paid then, if you came to the city for a day trip during peak times, i.e. on certain weekends and public holidays. Without a ticket, a fine of up to 300 euros was threatened.
The entrance ticket is the latest way of the Venice administration to try to intervene in the excessive tourism that plagues the city, against which the locals have rebelled for decades.
Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro said earlier in Julythat between April and July the city has collected entrance fees from around 450,000 tourists totaling more than 2.4 million euros.
The yield is clearly more than what was expected, Brugnaro was happy. According to him, this shows that “tourism is good for Italy”.
The local administration plans to tell you about the future of the admission ticket in the fall. According to the Italian media, the ticket price possibly rise to ten euros.
The fury of the Venetians rises
The introduction of the entrance ticket has angered the Venetians, who have long demanded drastic measures to curb over-tourism in their hometown. In recent months, Venetians have demonstrated, barked at ticket inspectors and even attacked tourists.
In other parts of Europe, too, sports tourism annoys the locals. In Spain, for example, there has been widespread opposition to tourism.
Approximately 20 million tourists visit Venice annually, a large proportion of whom are day-trippers.
Tourism has made Venice a difficult place for locals to live. The city’s population has decreased rapidly and is already below 50,000. The city has more beds for tourists than residents.
Read here a report about Venetians trying to save their hometown
Some changes have been brought about by the sentiments of the Venetians. Large cruise ships are no longer allowed to approach the historic center of Venice. Venetians are the first to get on the local water buses.
In Venice in July, talked about the entrance ticket with several local entrepreneurs in the tourism and restaurant industry. They agreed that the entrance ticket is not a viable way to intervene in tourism.
For example, the Venetian Gianluigi Wahba says that the admission ticket is “yet another stupid invention”. According to him, the problem with mass tourism is not that it doesn’t make enough profit, but that it turns the city into an amusement park.
– Someone came here again yesterday to ask where the St. Mark’s market is, says Wahba, who runs a bar on the side of the market.
Venice is not closed to tourists
The entrance ticket does not limit the number of tourists entering Venice. According to the administration, it would be a restriction of free movement and thus against the constitution.
Founder of the We Are Venice organization Jane Da Moston according to it is suspicious that the administration does not say what the income from the admission ticket is used for.
– Venetian decision-makers do not live in the historical center of Venice itself. They see tourism as a way to make money, separate from us locals, he says.
Da Mosto’s organization has conducted research on the effects of tourism in Venice. According to him, with mass tourism, Venice has lost its authenticity. It is no longer difficult to find authentic flavors and get in touch with local life under the stalls selling frozen pizza slices and trinkets, he says.
He suggests that there should be authenticity and quality requirements for new entrepreneurs in the tourism industry.
– It would benefit both locals, who would receive services, and tourists, whose experience would become more authentic. This is how the whole city would change.
Many tourists have a positive attitude towards the entrance ticket
spoke to several day-trippers in Venice on different days. Many people said that they have a positive attitude towards the admission ticket.
A Finn living in Uppsala, Sweden Wind Wachowiak and his family did not have to pay an entrance ticket, because he came to Venice on a weekday.
However, he would have gladly paid that – and more. He has enough understanding for the Venetians.
– After all, day tourists are an insane burden on such a special place. They leave trash, take up a lot of space in small streets. It seems that five euros is a small amount.
How much should the entrance ticket cost to prevent the family from coming again?
– Maybe a hundred euros could be a pretty heavy daily fee. If you were fifty, then you should start thinking.
German Ludwig Jung and his friends, on the other hand, had to pay the entrance fee. Jung was also happy to pay it. For him, mass tourism is Venice’s biggest problem.
– This way, at least, we get additional income from tourism. Not everyone who goes here treats Venice well.
However, according to Jung, the city should come up with other ways to limit tourism.
– A five-euro ticket won’t stop anyone from coming. Venice could consider stricter measures, like Barcelona, which is now banning the short-term rental of apartments.