Today, Thursday 25 April, was the first day of application of the ‘ticket for Venice’. For today, 113,000 people registered, of which 15,700 paid. Among those exempt: almost 40,000 guests in accommodation facilities (who already pay the tourist tax), 2,100 relatives of residents and 2,000 friends of residents. Furthermore, 13,000 students and 20,400 workers registered for the entire period.
Furthermore, all residents and those born in the Municipality of Venice who can enter and exit the city without registration, showing only their identity document, must be considered.
The checks carried out verified a total of almost 14,000 people, without revealing any particular critical issues, according to what was reported by the councilors for Budget and Tourism, Michele Zuin and Simone Venturini. “Things seem to be going well,” commented Zuin, “at least as far as we can see; we encountered no protests and most visitors seemed well informed on the issue.”
However, some critical voices have been raised. About a hundred members of the social centers organized a demonstration in Piazzale Roma against the introduction of the entrance ticket. Moments of tension arose when some young people tried to overcome the police to reach the train station, where checks on vouchers and QR codes take place. However, the climate was more peaceful later, during another demonstration by citizen committees against the ticket, who positioned themselves near the QR checkpoint.
Mayor Brugnaro discussed directly with the protesters, embracing dialogue and underlining the importance of taking action to preserve Venice for future generations. “Nothing has ever been done to regulate tourism”, declared the mayor, “politics has ignored this need, but I have acted”. He expressed regret for the inconvenience caused but underlined the need to take concrete action to manage the tourist flow.
Brugnaro explained that the experimentation will be of medium duration, necessary to collect data and information to optimize the system. He cited the QR code as a positive example, offering services such as a city map indicating points of interest, including toilets.
“Our goal is not just to balance costs and revenues,” said the mayor, “but to change the way people visit Venice, reducing congestion.” He admitted that the fear of change is understandable but reiterated that it serves to improve things. “Today we spend more than we take in”, he continued, “but it is an investment to change things”.
Mayor Brugnaro’s most satisfied reaction came when he saw the visitors arriving and approaching the gates waving the QR code in their hands. “They understand,” he said confidently.
Tomorrow is the second day on which the entrance fee is expected, followed by those on 27, 28, 29 and 30 April; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 May; 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 June; 6, 7, 13 and 14 July 2024, always at the same times.
Approximately 75 steward informants will be involved in 16 areas; approximately 40 steward verifiers and 35 inspectors in approximately 15 control points, the main of which will be in the Railway area, in the P.le Roma area and in the San Zaccaria area. 70 information totems scattered across the city’s access points, as well as Chioggia and Punta Sabbioni.
