The recently introduced experiment of charging entry fees for one-day tourists in Venice brought the city a revenue of 975 thousand euros in 11 days, reported the DPA agency. On Monday, the city announced the sale of over 195 thousand tickets, slightly exceeding expectations.
The entry fee, introduced for the first time from April 25th to May 5th, is set at a standard rate of 5 euros. Now, the entry fee will be charged on almost every Saturday and Sunday until mid-July, after which the city will evaluate what to do next with the experiment.
Typically, visitors during the day from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm must pay the fee and receive a QR code confirming payment. Failure to comply with this rule may result in a fine of up to 300 euros. Local residents, tourists staying overnight in Venice, students, and children under 14 are exempt from the fee. With approximately 15 million visitors annually, the Italian lagoon city is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world.
It remains unclear whether Venice will retain the fee after the trial phase. If the city’s leadership decides to abandon this policy, the fee will be directed towards maintaining roads, canals, and structures. However, at the moment, the expenses for implementing the fee and establishing the ticketing system still exceed the revenue from the fees.
