Venice has implemented an entry fee for its day visitors for the second year, aiming to limit overtourism and its impact on the daily lives of residents. However, early data suggests that the measure has failed in its intended purpose.
According to preliminary data from the Municipal Council, this year, for the 54 days of implementation of the measure, from April to July, 723,497 payments were recorded, yielding a total of 5.42 million euros, an amount almost double that of last year, when the measure was implemented for just 29 days yielding €2.4 million.
Of all visitors, 51% prepaid the €5 fee, while 49% paid the double fee of €10, as provided for reservations made within four or less days of the visit.
The municipal authority points out that the revenue will be invested in services that benefit residents and at least €1.5 million will be allocated to reducing the municipal waste fee.
Despite the increase in revenue, the number of visitors did not decrease drastically. The average daily number of payments reached 13,046, slightly lower than in 2024 (16,676). The busiest day was Friday, May 2, with 24,951 daily visitors, a number that exceeds half of the city’s population.
“The experiment failed,” say critics of the measure, as it did not function as a tool to manage tourist flows during peak days and did not act as a deterrent to visiting the destination.
They also call for measures to encourage the resettlement of residents in the historic center, where there are now more beds for tourists than permanent residents, with the latter having reached a historically low level of 48,500.
