The entrance fee for Venice will double in price

In Venice, everything is on the rise, whether it’s the water level or the entrance ticket. The city council of the Veneto capital has announced that the second phase of the “paywall” experiment to enter the city will take place in 2025. According to the mayor, the measure - widely criticized both on social media and in public spaces - is not intended to increase the city’s revenue but aims to reduce “day-trip” tourists to make Venice more enjoyable for both residents and long-term visitors. This year, the ticket was only introduced on the busiest days, such as long weekends and holidays, but now the intention is to increase the pay-per-entry days from 29 to 54 per year. Additionally, from April 18 to July 27, 2025 - the ticket activation period - those staying for less than four days will be required to pay a fee of 10 euros, instead of the previously set 5 euros. This change was decided because the measure, as it was introduced this year, did not effectively counter the problem of mass tourism that has made Venice unlivable for its citizens for years, as stated by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro.

During the 29 days when payment was required, the council reported revenues of about 2.4 million euros, averaging nearly 17,000 euros per day. The paying visitors numbered 485,000, while 3 million were exempt: 1.5 million tourists staying in hotels, 500,000 students, 700,000 workers, and 220,000 Venetians. However, it seems that the results of this initial trial, which began on April 25, have not been positive. Data presented by opposition leader Andrea Martini indicates that tourist influx on payment days even increased compared to 2023 when no ticket was required to enter the city. Last year, another idea was discussed, introducing a daily limit on entries for tourists. But the Budget Councillor Michele Zuin quickly opposed this option, stating that before setting possible thresholds, a thorough analysis of data from previous years was necessary, adding that such an option seemed too outdated to apply.

Venice was the first city in Italy to adopt this measure and is also one of the cities globally that has been overwhelmed by a new wave of mass tourism in recent years, especially post-pandemic. There have already been speculations about Rome, though, in the case of the capital, it would only affect the Trevi Fountain (at least for now). The proposal was made by Rome’s Capital Tourism Councillor, suggesting a 2-euro charge for tourists to enter Piazza Trevi, while Roman residents would be exempt. In Europe, the city that experienced the most intense backlash against mass tourism this summer was Barcelona, where thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest against the unlivability of the Catalan capital. Although a 10-euro ticket simply to enter Venice may seem dystopian at times - especially in the current Italian economic climate - the reasons behind it are valid: there is a reason why over the years the saying has become “Venice is beautiful, but I wouldn’t want to live there”.