Dolomites, an access fee like in Venice? They like the idea but encounter many obstacles

BELLUNO – Mountain tourism is soaring, and in view of the imminent start of the summer season, the idea of ​​introducing an entry ticket to the entire territory of the UNESCO Dolomites has arisen. In short, pay to admire a sunrise on the Marmolada, to take a selfie overlooking Lake Misurina or to go shopping in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Cortina d’Ampezzo? Between the end of May and the beginning of June, approximately 70% of the hotels in the Belluno Dolomites will open their doors to guests. And if bookings for the next summer season seem promising, the president of Federalberghi Belluno, Walter De Cassan, launches a proposal that is causing a lot of discussion: «Following the example of Venice might not be a bad idea. To enter the immense American parks you pay a tax, and one could be established throughout the UNESCO Dolomites area, perhaps even just one euro, the proceeds of which go to finance mobility, promotion and a whole series of initiatives aimed at enhancing this territory”. The category of hoteliers considers the decision to identify the accommodation business as the sole collection point for the tourist tax to be unfair. According to Federalberghi it would be more correct to finance the functions carried out by local authorities in the tourism field with different methods, for example the establishment of a city tax or in this case “Dolomiti tax”. Which would also serve to counter the phenomenon of overtourism during high season periods. It had already been taken into consideration in the past.

THE FOUNDATION
«The one euro ticket – says the director of the Dolomiti Unesco Foundation, Mara Nemela – could be an excellent idea, but difficult to apply because the Unesco perimeter is spread over five provinces and coordination would be needed, having so many access points. We considered that one of the problems of the UNESCO world heritage site is tourist pressure, but people are unlikely to be dissuaded from going somewhere by the institution of some type of tax.” And the director continues: «We should find a way to limit the flows». This is precisely the puzzle. «We know that regulated access systems, such as shuttle buses, can help to reduce tourist pressure and on the other hand allow tourists to have a quality visit experience. The Foundation has always tried to encourage a dialogue on these systems and they are probably the right solution.”

THE TREND
The numbers developed by the Belluno sociologist, Diego Cason, date back to the pre-covid period of 2019 «because they allow us to evaluate normal flows and not those still influenced by Covid events. And if in Venice the number of visitors per inhabitant was 23 per day (when the maximum allowed for urban destinations should not exceed 6.3 arrivals per inhabitant) in Cortina d’Ampezzo in summer 2019 there were 9, 2 (July) and 8.9 (August) arrivals per inhabitant. «This means that in the months of July and August in Cortina d’Ampezzo we are well beyond the sustainable limit», explains Cason. And a 2018 study by the Unesco Dolomites Foundation on the flows relating to the Tre cime in Lavaredo determined that in some periods of the year there were up to 13,500 people per day, when the maximum recommended load capacity is 2700.

THE STEPS
If the ticket option is difficult to use, the only way to manage the phenomenon in some periods could be to prevent access of private cars at high altitude in places where there are phenomena of overtourism. For several years there has also been talk of closure or hourly limitation of vehicular traffic on the Dolomite passes.

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