Venice will keep the entrance fee system in 2025, which is part of the efforts of local authorities to deal with overtourism, ANSA and France Press reported, BTA reports.
The entrance fee mechanism will be applied to tourists who do not stay in a hotel in the city, but arrive by cruise ship or from neighboring towns such as Mestre, Marghera, Treviso and Verona. These are the so-called one-day tourists.
In 2024, the fee was imposed for 29 days, during which tourists paid 5 euros to enter Venice. In 2025 The fee will apply for 54 days, starting on April 18. The price will be 5 euros for tourists who book at least 4 days in advance, while those who are not so prepared will be charged 10 euros.
Venice residents are exempt from the fee. The aim of this initiative is to encourage tourists to visit Venice during less busy times of the year. After paying the fee online, tourists will receive a QR code that they must present at the city's main entry points.
However, critics of the mechanism argue that the daily fee is insufficient to deal with overtourism. Venice is one of the most visited cities in the world, with over 100,000 tourists staying overnight during peak periods, and tens of thousands more arriving for day trips. This creates a significant strain on the infrastructure and negatively affects the local population, whose number is decreasing.
UNESCO has even threatened to put Venice on the list of endangered cultural heritage due to the lack of effective measures to deal with overtourism.
The campaign to promote the fee will have its own mascot, called Rivo. His name comes from the Italian word “Arrivo“, which means “I come” or “I arrive”.