Venice lawmakers have approved new measures and proposed the charges will start from summer 2022 onwards
(Picture: REUTERS)Venice could become the world’s first city to charge an entrance fee to tourists.
Leaders in the capital of Italy’s Veneto region believe the levy scheme could help tackle overcrowding around the city’s narrow alleys and famous canals.
The plans were first devised in 2019 but put on hold last year when the pandemic put curbs on international travel.
Venice lawmakers have approved new measures and proposed the charges will start from summer 2022 onwards.
The proposed fee, which could vary between €3 and €10, was one of several measures proposed to control tourism levels, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.
Others include an online booking system and visitors entering the city through theme park-style electronic turnstiles.
The fee would target day-trippers and cruise ship passengers.
Venetians, their relatives, children under six and people “staying in local hotels” were believed to be exempt from the fee.
In June, Venice residents held a protest to demand an end to cruise ships passing through the lagoon city.
Italian authorities approved a ban on vessels weighing more than 25,000 tonnes entering the historic centre of Venice from August 1.
Politicians said the decision came in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco.
Cruise companies had to remove Venice from their itineraries until the industrial port of Marghera is repurposed for passenger use.
Since pandemic restrictions were lifted Venice, which is made up of more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, has seen about 80,000 visitors a day.
