The fee to enter Venice arrives in May. But there are still unknowns about the regulations

One thing is certain (albeit with all the conditionalities involved): the new landing fee that will need to be paid to enter Venice’s historic center will come into effect starting in May. This was announced by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. However, everything else remains to be determined: how much it will cost (the mayor said he has an idea, but cannot reveal it yet), whether it will vary by time of year, and most importantly, how it will be collected. That is, there is no word on how it will be levied or how the controls will be carried out.

For the time being, we do know that there will be (or at least that’s what Brugnaro said) a junta measure that will be issued by February 4-5: the measures will then pass through the Council towards the end of February, and after 60 days the regulations of the new tax should become operational. Just in time to tax tourists who will decide to travel to Venice on the days of the May 1 bridge, or for those who will go to the city for the opening of the 2019 Biennale. However, there are anticipations about the exemptions: the tax will obviously not affect Venetian citizens, workers, students, and those who already pay the tourist tax. It will therefore be a measure that will only affect tourists who go to Venice in the day, whatever means of transportation they choose to reach the historic center. There are already those, however, who are pushing for family members of those who reside in Venice (and perhaps come to the city to visit relatives) to also be exempt from the tax, or those who need to travel to the city to take advantage of services.

Undoubtedly, flow control represents the most difficult chapter of the new regulation. There are many aspects (from logistical to legal) that the municipality has to deal with: engineers are therefore already at work to find solutions, and the categories of economic operators have already been involved in the process. Whatever those solutions may be, there will still be information campaigns starting before the tax is implemented. Another certainty concerns the period of the trial, which will last three years. In any case, the municipality’s goals are to relieve tourist pressure, improve the quality of life of Venetians and ensure better services for tourists.

Ph. Credit

The fee to enter Venice arrives in May. But there are still unknowns about the regulations

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