Venice will now charge visitors for a day trip next year, in a bid to manage overcrowding.
From next spring, the Italian canal city will charge those visiting for one day €5 (£4.34) each on 29 days between April and July.
The capital of Veneto, built on 120 small islands, welcomes around 25 million people a year, but scientists from the European Geosciences Union warned that the city could be underwater by 2100 as sea levels rise.
Those taking a day trip between 25 April and 5 May, and every Saturday and Sunday from May to 14 July will be charged. However, the first weekend of June is excluded.
The fee generally applies to all tourists aged 14 and over who are not staying in Venice overnight in that period.
Those staying overnight will have to register for an exemption at www.cda.ve.it from 16 January.
The fee will be in effect during peak hours from 8.30am until 4pm, which means visitors who come into Venice for dinner or a concert won’t have to pay.
Anyone exempt during peak hours will have to carry a QR code proving so, other than residents of the city and people who were born in Venice.
All tourists aged 14 and over who are not staying overnight will have to pay, with some exemptions. Pic: REUTERS/Louiza Vradi
Property owners, students and commuters will have to register for a code valid for a year.
Anyone visiting the city for short-term business or study will also have to register for daily codes.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a council meeting about the new fee: “This isn’t a revolution, but the first step on the path to regulate day tripper access – an experiment whose aim is to better the livability of the city, of who lives here and works here.
“Venice is the first city in the world to start out on this journey which could become an example for other fragile cities that must be preserved.”
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Scientists from the EGU warned the city could be underwater by 2100. Pic: REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
In August, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended Venice be added to its list of World Heritage in Danger over growing concerns of overcrowding and unsustainability.
The agency said steps proposed by the Italian state to tackle the issues are “currently insufficient and not detailed enough”.
Venice avoided being blacklisted in 2021 as Italy banned cruise ships from entering its lagoon to defend its ecosystem. UNESCO members cited the day-tripper fee as a reason to keep it off the endangered list.