In addition to introducing an entrance fee for day trippers, Venice will also tighten the rules for tour groups next summer. Groups visiting the city for a guided tour may have a maximum of 25 people. This was decided by the city’s city council on Saturday. The measure is intended to limit mass tourism and its negative impact on the city. There is also a ban on the use of loudspeakers on guided tours. This should limit inconvenience to residents. The measures will come into effect on 1 June 2024. Venice has been trying to limit the nuisance of mass tourism for some time. The old town, with its famous St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and its many canals, has barely 50,000 permanent residents. In high season, the city has more than twice as many tourists on some days. Crowded streets and hustle and bustle make up the image of Venice. The city already decided in September to charge an entrance fee of five euros to day trippers in 2024. The scheme will start as a test next spring. The entrance fee is initially valid for 30 days when, based on past experience, it is particularly busy. Later, the scheme will be extended. The exact dates are not yet known. The measure does not apply to hotel guests who stay longer. Venice has a dual relationship with tourism, as it is a major economic driver of the city. Shortly after the outbreak of the corona crisis, in April 2020, the mayor of Venice called on tourists to visit his city. Due to the strict measures and travel restrictions, which were in place for all of Italy at the time, the streets and squares of the city were completely empty. “We can no longer afford to shut down one of the country’s most important economic engines,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in 2020. (Photo Shutterstock).
