Venice may increase tourist fee after having mediocre success at capping crowds

Venice is planning to increase its fee for day trippers in the next year, with the pilot project having limited impact on thinning crowds in the tourist hot spot in Italy.

Venice's experimental payment system for tourists had only a limited impact on reducing crowds in the lagoon city, signaling a likely increase in fees next year, according to Simone Venturini, the city councillor responsible for tourism and social cohesion.

In a global first, Venice introduced a €5 ($5.44) charge in April for day trippers on particularly congested days, aiming to deter some visitors.

The pilot scheme, which lasted 29 days, ends on Sunday and will be followed by a consultation period to determine the project's future.

While Venturini stated that the initial assessment was positive and confirmed the system would be renewed in 2025, he acknowledged that large crowds persisted. "On some weekends there were less people than the same time last year, but no one expected that all the day trippers would miraculously disappear," Venturini told Reuters.

He believes the system will be more effective in the future with an increased number of chargeable days and higher fees, though he did not specify the amount visitors might pay in 2025.

The city council aims to discourage day trippers, especially during weekends and holidays when visitors can exceed 100,000—double the number of local residents.

Visitors with hotel reservations were exempt from the levy.

Martini proposed a free booking system for visitor slots to avoid pricing out lower-income families while tracking tourist arrivals.

He emphasized the need to warn visitors about overcrowded days to ensure a better experience and suggested the long-term goal should be to attract full-time residents back to Venice, as short-term rentals have increasingly dominated the housing market.

Source : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visit/venice-may-increase-tourist-fee-after-having-mediocre-success-at-capping-crowds/articleshow/111727014.cms