Venice collected over 700,000 euros (CZK 18 million) in the first eight days after the introduction of the entrance fee to the historic part of the city, which is more than what the town hall expected. It is written by the APA agency. The fee is paid only by tourists who do not spend a single night in accommodation in the city and who are not entitled to one of the many exemptions.
Venice
12:32 p.m May 6, 2024
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According to the city management, the aim of the measures, which apply only on selected days, is to mitigate the effects of excessive tourism. However, according to critics, the high yield shows that the fee does not fulfill a regulatory function.
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Venice City Hall published data for the period from April 25, when the fee began to be collected, to May 2. During this period, there were two very busy days when Italy celebrated a public holiday. It was April 25, which is Liberation Day, and May 1, which is Labor Day. During the monitored period, over 144,000 people paid five euros for entry. However, tens of thousands of other people took advantage of one of the many exemptions.
Venice introduced the fee in a trial run from the end of April to the middle of July. There is a charge for a total of 29 days when an excessive number of tourists is expected in the city. The town hall was counting on revenues of 700,000 euros for the entire trial period this year.
“This year (on the system) we will spend more than we collect,” said Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. According to him, putting the system into operation cost the city about three million euros (CZK 75 million). Next year, however, according to city hall materials, Venice could collect seven million euros in entrance fees. The city management has repeatedly claimed to journalists that the purpose of the fee is to improve the situation in the historic center, not to have a new source of income for the city coffers.
The fee does not fulfill the function
But according to critics, the high revenues for the first days of the system’s launch show that the fee is not fulfilling its main function – to reduce the number of tourists on the busiest days. Originally, the town hall considered introducing a limited number of entrances to the historic part of the city on certain days in addition to the fee.
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However, she later abandoned the maximum number of tourists on the grounds that Venice is a city and not a museum. Critics also believe that regulating short-term rentals, which in the historic city contribute to excessive increases in rents and property prices for local residents, would do more to address the effects of over-tourism.
The sharp increase in tourism in recent decades has been accompanied by the depopulation of the island’s historic center. It has a population of around 50,000 according to the latest figures, while in 1951 it was almost 175,000. According to local activists, the reason for the decline in the gradually aging population is precisely the situation on the real estate market, which makes it difficult for new residents to come.
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