The new entry fee for day visitors brought almost one million euros into Venice’s coffers in the first test phase of eleven days. With a standard price of five euros, more than 195,000 tickets sold generated revenue of over 975,000 euros, according to statistics published by the Italian lagoon city on Monday. This somewhat exceeded the expectations of the municipal administration.
The fee was valid from April 25th to May 5th. Now it’s a break until the weekend. Admission must be paid on practically all Saturdays and Sundays until mid-July.
In principle, all day guests pay five euros between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. To do this, you should get a QR code online and upload it to your cell phone. Otherwise, a fine of up to 300 euros may be due. Locals, overnight guests, students and children under 14 – the vast majority of people staying in the city – are exempt from the fee. You usually also need a QR code, but you get it for free.
With around 15 million guests per year, the Italian lagoon city is one of the most visited travel destinations in the world. Mass tourism brings a lot of money into the Venetians’ coffers, but is now also causing them a lot of trouble. On many days it is almost impossible to get through the narrow streets around St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge.
It is still unclear whether the test phase will become a permanent fee. The decision on this should be made later this year. The entrance fee, if it stays that way, will later be used to maintain roads, canals and buildings. At the moment, the costs of the introduction are still higher than the revenue.
