'Day-Trippers' Will Have to Pay a Fee to Visit Venice, Italy Starting Spring 2024. Here's What You Need to Know. Visitors 14 years or older will be charged a day-trip fee of 5 euros ($5.35) to enter.
Key Takeaways
- The Venice city council aims to manage tourism by implementing the day trip fee, focusing primarily on spring and summer weekends.
- It starts in spring 2024.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you want to spend a day in the historic canal city of Venice, Italy, it will cost you an entrance fee.
On Tuesday, the Venice city council announced that starting in spring 2024, the Italian city famous for its canals, gondola rides, and vibrant festivals, will begin a trial spanning roughly 30 days, wherein visitors 14 years or older will be charged a day-trip fee of 5 euros ($5.35) to enter.
"The goal is to discourage daily tourism in certain periods, in line with the delicacy and uniqueness of the city," the council wrote in the press release.
In the coming weeks, the council will establish a solidified calendar with the fee-required dates, focusing mainly on spring and summer weekends.
As far as what the implementation will look like — whether day trippers will be lined up at gates like Disney World, or if they can purchase passes online or only in person — remains to be announced.
However, one thing the city did clarify is that the initiative is "not a tool for making cash," and the 5 euro day trip fee simply covers the cost of carrying out the admission experiment.
Related: Traveling to Europe Will Get Harder in 2024 — Here's Why
Canal seen from Ponte dei Conzafelzi in Castello, Venice, Italy. Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost | Getty Images.
In 2019, Venice garnered 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in tourism revenue, of which 30% was from day trippers. However, day-trippers constituted the majority of tourists, accounting for 70% of the total visitors, per Bloomberg.
"The message we want to put across is that Venice is open, but visitors must understand that we need proper planning to manage the balance between residence and tourism," councilor for the Venice economy Michele Zuin, said in a statement, per CNN.
The proposal was initially discussed in 2019 but faced delays due to the pandemic.
Exemptions to the entrance fee include residents of Venice, employees (both salaried and self-employed), commuters, students at local schools and universities, minors, and family members of those who've paid the local property tax (IMU). Additional exemptions include overnight tourists within the area, residents of the Veneto Region, children under 14, individuals needing care, participants in sports events, on-duty law enforcement officers, spouses, cohabitants, and relatives up to the 3rd degree in areas where the Access Fee applies.
Further exemptions, such as days affected, fee timeframes, and value (initially set at 5 euros) will be determined after final city council approval in the coming weeks.
