EXPLAINED: How will Venice’s ‘tourist tax’ work?
Venice has announced the first details of a long-delayed ticketing system for visitors in 2024. But who will the fee apply to and how will it work?
Venice officials announced on Thursday that a long-delayed ‘tourist tax’ aimed at regulating crowds and lessening the impact of mass tourism on the city's fragile centro storico (historic centre) would come into force on a total of 29 days next year, beginning in April.
READ ALSO: Venice announces dates for 'tourist tax' in 2024
But there's still a lot of uncertainty around who the entry fee will apply to, who will be exempt, and how the system will be enforced.
And future changes cannot be ruled out, especially given the project’s troubled history.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Thursday called the launch of the project in spring a "first step" rather than a "revolution" and said the council may make changes.
This is what the city council has said so far about the new ticketing system.
Who will the entry fee apply to?
The Venice city council has said that all day trippers over the age of 14 entering the city between 8am and 4.30pm will have to pay the fee. But no small amount of confusion lingers over who exactly will qualify as a ‘day tripper’.
In particular, Venice officials describe turisti giornalieri as visitors who don’t “stay in one of the accommodation facilities located within the territory of the Venice municipality”.
READ ALSO: Five essential tips to escape the tourist crowds in Venice
Besides hotels, it remains unclear exactly which other types of accommodation (B&Bs, hostels, holiday rentals, guest houses, etc.) will fall under the ‘accommodation facilities’ umbrella.
A traditional gondola crosses the Grand Canal in Venice. Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP
Who’s exempt?
Aside from guests staying at the city’s hotels, so far the city has said a number of other categories will be exempt from paying the fee.
Exemptions will include:
- Venice residents
- People working or studying in Venice
- Veneto region residents
- Second-home owners and their households
- Partners, parents or relatives up to the third degree of kinship of people residing in Venice
Barring Venice residents, all of the other above-mentioned categories will be asked to prove they’re entitled to the exemption by registering on a new online platform that's expected to be launched in mid-January.
There's no information yet as to which type of documentation applicants will have to submit.
How much is the fee?
Day trippers will be charged a flat five-euro fee to access the city’s historical centre during the 2024 trial stage.
However, it’s likely that this set-up will change once the trial’s over and the ticketing system becomes fully operative.
As laid out in some of the earliest project plans, the council should ultimately opt for a variable-fee format, with the fee’s amount changing based on the time of the year and the number of visitors expected in the city.
This means that the fee will be higher in peak tourist season and lower in low season.
How can I pay the fee?
Day visitors will be required to pay the fee via a new online platform (the same one used to claim a ticket exemption), which is expected to become operational next January.
The platform will provide visitors with a QR code, which they will then have to show to ticket officers upon entering the city.
READ ALSO: Five ‘secret’ places in Venice you need to visit
Ticket checks will take place at some of the city’s main entry points, though the city council hasn't yet disclosed their locations.
The rules say anyone found without a ticket could be fined between 50 and 300 euros.
Tourists walk across St Mark's Square, one of Venice's most popular attractions. Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP
When will the new fee come into effect?
Venice city council has announced that the new ticketing system will come into effect on a total of 29 days in 2024, at least to begin with.
In particular, the fee will be in place from April 25th to May 5th and then on all of the remaining weekends in May and June, as well as the first two weekends of July.
There's no information yet about what will happen once this first trial phase is over.
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Venice officials announced on Thursday that a long-delayed ‘tourist tax’ aimed at regulating crowds and lessening the impact of mass tourism on the city's fragile centro storico (historic centre) would come into force on a total of 29 days next year, beginning in April.
READ ALSO: Venice announces dates for 'tourist tax' in 2024
But there's still a lot of uncertainty around who the entry fee will apply to, who will be exempt, and how the system will be enforced.
And future changes cannot be ruled out, especially given the project’s troubled history.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Thursday called the launch of the project in spring a "first step" rather than a "revolution" and said the council may make changes.
This is what the city council has said so far about the new ticketing system.
Who will the entry fee apply to?
The Venice city council has said that all day trippers over the age of 14 entering the city between 8am and 4.30pm will have to pay the fee. But no small amount of confusion lingers over who exactly will qualify as a ‘day tripper’.
In particular, Venice officials describe turisti giornalieri as visitors who don’t “stay in one of the accommodation facilities located within the territory of the Venice municipality”.
READ ALSO: Five essential tips to escape the tourist crowds in Venice
Besides hotels, it remains unclear exactly which other types of accommodation (B&Bs, hostels, holiday rentals, guest houses, etc.) will fall under the ‘accommodation facilities’ umbrella.
Who’s exempt?
Aside from guests staying at the city’s hotels, so far the city has said a number of other categories will be exempt from paying the fee.
Exemptions will include:
- Venice residents
- People working or studying in Venice
- Veneto region residents
- Second-home owners and their households
- Partners, parents or relatives up to the third degree of kinship of people residing in Venice
Barring Venice residents, all of the other above-mentioned categories will be asked to prove they’re entitled to the exemption by registering on a new online platform that's expected to be launched in mid-January.
There's no information yet as to which type of documentation applicants will have to submit.
How much is the fee?
Day trippers will be charged a flat five-euro fee to access the city’s historical centre during the 2024 trial stage.
However, it’s likely that this set-up will change once the trial’s over and the ticketing system becomes fully operative.
As laid out in some of the earliest project plans, the council should ultimately opt for a variable-fee format, with the fee’s amount changing based on the time of the year and the number of visitors expected in the city.
This means that the fee will be higher in peak tourist season and lower in low season.
How can I pay the fee?
Day visitors will be required to pay the fee via a new online platform (the same one used to claim a ticket exemption), which is expected to become operational next January.
The platform will provide visitors with a QR code, which they will then have to show to ticket officers upon entering the city.
READ ALSO: Five ‘secret’ places in Venice you need to visit
Ticket checks will take place at some of the city’s main entry points, though the city council hasn't yet disclosed their locations.
The rules say anyone found without a ticket could be fined between 50 and 300 euros.
When will the new fee come into effect?
Venice city council has announced that the new ticketing system will come into effect on a total of 29 days in 2024, at least to begin with.
In particular, the fee will be in place from April 25th to May 5th and then on all of the remaining weekends in May and June, as well as the first two weekends of July.
There's no information yet about what will happen once this first trial phase is over.
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