First Results of Venice Entrance Fee Disappointing: 'Only More Tourists, Failure Established'

rome - The entrance fee introduced for day-trippers to visit Venice has not led to a decrease in tourists, but rather an increase. City councilor Giovanni Andrea Martini revealed the disappointing results based on recent data.

The entrance fee that day-trippers had to pay to see Venice has not reduced the number of tourists, but instead, the number has significantly increased. According to councilor Giovanni Andrea Martini, from April 25th (Italian Liberation Day, when the fee was introduced) to May 5th, 747,387 tourists visited Venice. Last year in the same period, there were 677,590 tourists. Martini stated, "So in the first eleven days where the entrance fee was supposed to control the influx of tourists, 69,797 more tourists came to Venice this year compared to exactly the same period last year. That means an average of 6,345 more tourists arrived daily than the previous year." He added, "The failure has now been established. We have the numbers proving the failure of the entrance fee."

Martini emphasized how the figures speak for themselves, questioning the reasoning behind claiming that the five-euro fee discouraged access. He criticized the intrusion on privacy and the city turning into the only paid city, forcing residents to prove their citizenship. According to him, there is no reasonable justification for these measures.

Martini suggested that Venice should adopt rental regulations to significantly reduce short-term rentals, drawing inspiration from his recent visit to Amsterdam, where he believed better measures against mass tourism were being taken.

The introduction of the entrance fee for day-trippers in Venice earlier this year sparked numerous debates. It was enforced for 29 days and marked the first instance of such a fee in the city. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is undecided on continuing the entrance fee experiment.