Authorities in Venice are considering raising the €5 fee for day-trippers next year.
Simone Venturini, the City Councilor responsible for tourism and social cohesion, noted that the experimental payment system for day-trippers, which started in April, had a limited impact on reducing crowds, according to Schengen.News.
Venice introduced the fee in April to address mass tourism, but the pilot scheme lasted only 29 days and ended on Sunday. A consultation period will now follow to decide the project’s future.
Although the measures helped reduce the number of international visitors, Venturini pointed out that large crowds persist, indicating the need for additional measures.
“On some weekends, there were fewer people than the same time last year … but no one expected that all the day-trippers would miraculously disappear,” Venturini stated.
While the exact amount of the fee for next year has not been disclosed, Venturini mentioned that increasing the number of chargeable days and raising fees would make the system more effective.
The city council aims to discourage the number of day-trippers, particularly during weekends and holidays when the number of international visitors exceeds 100,000, double the number of residents, according to a report from the Economic Times India. Visitors with hotel reservations are exempt from the levy.
Since the fee’s introduction in April, Venice has collected nearly €1 million in just 11 days. From April 25 to May 5, an average of 75,000 visitors were registered in Venice.
In response to mass tourism, Venice authorities introduced additional measures last month. These include banning loudspeakers and limiting tour group sizes to 25, aiming to balance the needs of residents and tourists.