It aims to manage tourist flows
Venice will test the application of a ticket and a cap on the entrance of visitors to its canals from next April. It will be the first time such a measure has been implemented globally, according to the Italian city’s mayor, and will aim to manage tourist flows during public holidays and certain summer weekends when visitor numbers peak.
“It’s the first time in the world you’ll see something like this…a city on a reservation,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said during a press conference.
The restrictions will apply from 08.30 to 16.00, initially for a total of 29 days and will cover most weekends from 25 April until mid-July 2024.
Visitors will have to make an online reservation and will pay the amount of 5 euros to obtain a QR code that will be checked at specific entry points where access to the historic districts will be granted of Venice.
The restrictions will not apply to smaller islands in the lagoon such as Murano.
Fines will range from 50 to 310 euros and will be imposed on those who violate the measures.
Residents of the city or people who were born in Venice, as well as students, workers and homeowners in the city will be exempted from the measures, it was pointed out in the EIA.
Visitors under the age of 14 will be registered, but access will be free.
Mass tourism and flooding are Venice’s perennial problem.
“We want to measure the results of this test, we want to measure the effect of the reservation system,” said the mayor, who believes the experiment will initially result in a loss of money.
