Venice, Italy’s representative tourist city that has been suffering from ‘overtourism’, is the first in the world to charge an entrance fee to daily tourists.
On the 25th (local time), Venetian authorities announced that from this day until July 14th, they will charge an admission fee to tourists on the same day they enter the city. Tourists only have to pay 5 euros (about 7,400 won) for a day.
It will be applied only on public holidays and weekends until July, the tourist season, and will be piloted for a total of 29 days. However, residents of Venice’s historic districts, people visiting for reasons such as work, study, or medical care, residents of the Veneto region where Venice belongs, teenagers under 14 years of age, and people with disabilities are also excluded from the admission fee.
If you pay 5 euros in advance on the official website and follow the instructions, a QR code will be issued. Tourists staying for more than one night will be issued a free QR code.
City authorities plan to randomly check tourists by deploying inspectors at major points entering and exiting Venice, such as Santa Lucia Station. If you are caught without paying the entrance fee, you will be subject to a fine of 50 to 300 euros (70,000 to 440,000 won).
This system, which was introduced to solve the phenomenon of overtourism, is a desperate measure in response to the problem of residents leaving and UNESCO World Heritage sites being damaged. It is estimated that an average of 40,000 people visit Venice every day during the peak season. Venice, which is listed as a World Heritage Site, barely avoided being placed on the list of ‘World Heritage in Danger’.
However, there are mixed opinions as to whether the 5 euro entrance fee is enough to curb the number of tourists. In addition, there is some ridicule that Venice has become ‘Disneyland’ because it charges admission fees like a movie theater or amusement park, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
“This is an experiment that has never been attempted anywhere in the world,” said Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. “Our goal is to make Venice a better place to live.”
Kim Ye-seul, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
Tags: worlds city charge entrance fee .. place registered World Cultural Heritage
