Venice, from January will charge to enter. And meanwhile, record increases for transportation

Venice is preparing to cash in on tourists. In the meantime, transportation measures are being triggered immediately: as of July 1, the new fares came into effect, resulting in a real sting on tourists, since the increases affect only non-Venetians. So, for those coming from outside (unless they are from Veneto and want to buy the Venezia Unica pass to be entitled to the reductions according to the Carta Venezia fares), there will be increases for the vaporetti, which go from 7.50 euros to 9.50 euros (+26.6% increase), for the bus from Marco Polo airport to the historic center, from 8 to 10 euros (+25%), and for the Municipal parking lot in Piazzale Roma, which goes from 26 to 35 euros even with a maxi-increase of 35.4%. Other increases include the daily vaporetto ticket, from 20 to 24 euros (+20%), and the weekly ticket, which rises from 60 to 65 euros (+8.3%). The increases, as mentioned, do not affect residents and holders of Venezia Unica (issued not only to Venetians but also to residents of the Veneto region).

But the real news is the fee for entering the city, which will come into effect on January 16, 2023. Venice will thus become the first city in the world to charge a kind of ticket to be able to visit. The rules were established yesterday with a resolution of the City Council giving the green light to the new regulations for the establishment and regulation of the access fee. The fee will range from 3 to 10 euros, with or without a carrier, and will cover both the historic center and the other smaller islands of the Lagoon. The regulatory text will now go to the Committees and City Council for the final go-ahead expected by summer.

The measure sets guidelines for the introduction of a new system for managing tourist flows, defining general principles, exclusions, exemptions, controls and penalties. Further details will be made available by the end of the year. The goal, explains the City of Venice, is to disincentivize day tourism at certain times of the year and encourage overnight tourism. Only later will a further resolution of the City Council define specific details and declinations, such as daily attendance thresholds, individual days or periods of the year in which to apply a different measure of the access fee, time of day bands in which not to apply the fee, and the possibility of reducing the cost of the fee if booked well in advance.

The first details were unveiled on Friday, July 1, at Ca’ Farsetti by Tourism Councillor Simone Venturini and Budget Councillor Michele Zuin. “After years of discussions on how to better manage tourist flows in the city, today we are presenting an initiative that represents a great achievement,” Venturini says. “Even before the pandemic began, the City of Venice had already obtained from Parliament, thanks to the efforts of the mayor and the entire administration, the possibility of introducing an access fee. We have managed in recent months to further improve the mechanisms governing this system. The real revolution is the integrated system between access fee and reservation. The goal of this measure, which by now could no longer be postponed, is to reduce the excesses of day tourists and seasonal peaks, seeking a balance between the needs of residents, overnight tourists and those visiting the city during the day. A balance that is lacking at certain times of the year. We are the first in the world to introduce this system, and we have the understanding that not everything may work well from the start, but we will be ready to improve as we go. We want to ensure that tourists have the best quality of visit and make sure that the city is able to give visitors all the services they need.”

“In recent years there has been a lot of talk about how to better control attendance in the city,” Zuin added, “but few concrete ideas had been seen. This integrated system we are presenting today is intended to serve to better manage tourist flows, not to make cash, representing an incentive for more orderly tourism. Revenue from the access fee will be used first to pay the costs of introducing the system and then to discount Tari bills for residents. Setting limits on attendance at certain times may be necessary, but that does not mean closing the city. Venice will always remain open to everyone. However, we believe that visiting it is more beautiful, peaceful and safe if you book. The measure will also allow residents to experience their city better.”

Venice, from January will charge to enter. And meanwhile, record increases for transportation

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