But travel specialists don’t agree that the new 5 euro charge will be an effective deterrent for travelers eager to see the wonders of the UNESCO-listed lagoon city, including the breathtaking Grand Canal, St. Mark’s Square, and the Rialto Bridge. “I’m not sure it will discourage visitors from coming during high-season, but hopefully the extra charge contributes to a cleaner, safer, and more efficient Venice,” says Courtney Mundy, a travel specialist with Butterfield & Robinson based in Italy.
For others, the crowd control isn’t worth the hassle that the registration system could pose for other visitors. “Not only will the day-trippers have to file for a QR code, but also workers in the city and, ridiculously, Venice’s hotel guests,” says Avi Hagby, a resident and owner of tour company Venice Luxury Services. “That means that even the non-day-tripper will have to file arduous forms before coming.” Indeed, travelers staying in Venetian hotels will also need to generate a QR code to show on arrival and input their hotel information in order to bypass the fee.
Regardless of whether the tax will be effective at quelling the crowds, it’s certainly clear that Venice is reaching a breaking point with overtourism. During the summer high season, as many as 110,000 tourists per day pass through Venice, according to Euro News. The hordes of visitors far outnumber the local population—which currently clocks in at about 50,000 residents—and contribute to problems including litter, pollution, and potential damage to historic sites.
The situation has gotten so dire that UNESCO recommended earlier this year that the city be placed on its World Heritage in Danger list, which tracks sites at risk of deterioration or destruction due to “serious and specific dangers.” (Along with mass tourism, the organization is also concerned by the threat of climate change looming over the city.) Ultimately, UNESCO refrained from adding Venice to the official list, in part because of the day-tripper tax, according to the AP.
But, for some, tourists who visit only for the day represent only a small piece of a much larger issue. “Blaming them for overtourism in Venice would not be accurate,” Hagby says. “It’s only part of the problem.” Just as important, according to Hagby, would be increasing the amount of hotel rooms available in Venice to encourage longer stays, clamping down on illegal vacation rentals, and prioritizing efforts to grow the city’s number of residents.
