Critics say the entry tax is a failure. Venice officials say the fee should be doubled.
Why tax?
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Venice is one of the most visited places on earth. Unable to host such large crowds, Venice officials introduced a €5 entry fee in April 2024, aiming to see a decrease in tourism.
During the city´s most dense months from April until July, day trippers from across the globe paid the €5 entry fee to enter Venice. The only ones exempt from paying were the people who had been staying in hotels and had paid the tourist tax, children under 14, residents of the region, students, workers and people visiting relatives.
How it went
“The ticket is a failure, as demonstrated by city data,” stated Giovanni Andrea Martini, an opposition City Council member. He highlighted that in the first 11 days of the campaign, an average of 75,000 visitors were recorded, a number way above the recorded in 2023, as provided by the city statistics.
The City Councilor responsible for tourism and social cohesion, Simone Venturini admitted to the Press that the crowds were still overwhelming but that “no one expected that all the day trippers would miraculously disappear.”
The Associated Press news agency revealed that from May until July, approximately 438, 000 tourists paid the entry tax, resulting in a €2,19 million gain for Venice.
The city´s authorities indicated that the money raised would be used for essential services, which with canal transport and maintenance fees, are worth much more than in regular cities.
Yet, an Italian media source, Corriere delle Sera reported that €3 million was spent on developing the tax campaign, considering the set up of an online booking system, the launch of informational campaigns and the pay of officers who carried out ticket checks.
An insider´s view
Not only did the Venice campaign cost a lot of money but it cost the government the support of their residents who began protesting as soon as the campaign launched.
“They should repair the thousands of abandoned houses in this city. Instead, residents keep leaving and all we´re doing is boosting tourism,” said resident Nicola Ussardi to Euronews in June.
The opponents of the campaign united to voice their demand for the local government to focus on residents, not tourists and instead, provide better conditions for those living in Venice.
The future
“It will be more effective in the coming years when we increase the number of days and lift the price,” said Venturini, sharing with the Press that the government plans to double the tax fee to €10.
Giovanni Andrea Martini commented; “Wanting to raise this (entry fee) to €10 is absolutely useless. It makes Venice a museum.” With more tourist beds in the canaled historic centre than official residents, Venice is under the threat of becoming Italy´s most crowded and most uninhabited city.
