The Mayor of Venice, Italy, Luigi Brugnaro, presented at Palazzo Grazioli in Rome, with the President of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, Esma Cakir, the access contribution for the city of Venice and the communication campaign that will accompany the experimentation, which is part of the strategic vision for managing tourist flows in the city.
Present with the mayor were the Budget Councilor, Michele Zuin; the Tourism Councilor, Simone Venturini; and the Operational Director of Vela spa, Fabrizio D’Oria.
The measure, which originated from the 2019 Budget Law, later updated in 2021, as explained by the Mayor, aims “to define a new system for managing tourist flows and to discourage daily tourism to Venice in specific periods, in line with the uniqueness of the city, to guarantee the full respect it deserves.”
The contribution will be required for 29 days in 2024, specifically on April 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2024; May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26; June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30; and July 6, 7, 13, 14.
The aim of the communication campaign will mainly be to inform and raise awareness about the need for sustainable tourism, supported by TV and radio spots, posters and flyers, brochures, websites, blogs, and social networks: these are the main means of dissemination of the multichannel tourism communication campaign based on the claim “but it’s true.”
“I have the honor of being the mayor of the most beautiful city in the world, but in recent years it has had a problem with the quality of life of its people, civilization, and respect for the rules. No politician makes a provision like this because it is easier to stand still and not try to find a solution.”
“We are trying to make the city more usable and livable.”
“This access contribution will be a test and advance, the planned cost of which will be higher than what we will collect, at least in this experimentation year which concerns 29 ‘stressed’ days. The benefit we expect is fewer daily visitors.”
Residents in the Veneto region on a daily visit have been exempted from the new provisions, but it is also true that introducing a reservation could discourage coming on those days and thus make the city less crowded, explained Mayor Brugnaro, during the 2-hour questioning by journalists from around the world. He said:
“We strongly reiterate that no one wants to close the city and that if someone still wants to come on these black days, they can do so, by paying a contribution of 5 euros, prior to booking the visit to the city. This will allow us to have true and important data: how many visitors, where they come from, how many exemptions, and much more, an important tool to understand how to organize services. It is not a measure that I take lightly, but if we continue to just talk, we will never do anything to preserve the delicacy and beauty of Venice. After this experimentation period, we will have all the time to make the reflections that need to be made, to improve and change, with the help of everyone.”
“Venice, ‘the oldest city of the future,’ has shown that it can interpret innovations,” reiterated Tourism Councilor Simone Venturini. “It is increasingly necessary to schedule and promote quality events, in order to encourage selected tourism, offering the public a series of sustainable events. To those already existing and tested, such as the Venice Carnival, new ones have been added in recent years, such as the Nautical Salon or the High Italian Handicraft Salon.”
The Budget Councilor, Michele Zuin, highlighted the uniqueness of this experimentation and the importance of evaluating its effects on the city: “We know that the world is watching us, and we are interested in making it understood that the experimentation of these 29 days is important to understand how the city will react since it is an absolute novelty.
“The exemptions that have been established by the City Council respond to common sense rules to guarantee access to Venice for those who work, study, have their affections, have health needs, or need to go to the regional capital, which hosts many administrative functions.
“Venice is an accessible, open city, but visitors, both national and international, must understand that proper planning is needed to manage the delicate balance between residentiality and tourism.”
Contribution
The amount for 2024 will be 5 euros per day and there will be no reductions. There will also be no identification of a presence threshold beyond which a surcharge for access contribution will apply.
The contribution will be applied only to the Old Town and not to the smaller islands including Lido di Venezia (including Alberoni and Malamocco), Pellestrina, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Sant’Erasmo, Mazzorbo, Mazzorbetto, Vignole, S. Andrea, Certosa, San Servolo, S. Clemente, and Poveglia.
Collection
The “heart of the system” will be the multichannel and multilingual platform, created by Venis Spa. Collection will take place directly by the Municipality of Venice, mainly through a web app where visitors can obtain the title (QR Code) to be shown in case of checks. The title certifies the payment of the contribution or the condition of exclusion/exemption and must always be available on request.
Who Must Pay the Access Contribution
Specifically, it has been established that the Access Contribution must be paid by every natural person over the age of 14 who accesses the Old Town of the Municipality of Venice unless they fall within the categories of exclusions and exemptions. In general, the contribution will be required of daily visitors who do not stay in facilities located in the Municipality of Venice.
Who is Excluded from Payment
In accordance with the law, the Access Contribution must not be paid by residents of the Municipality of Venice, workers (employees or self-employed), including commuters, students of any grade and order of schools and universities located in the Old Town or in the smaller islands, individuals, and members of families of those who have paid the IMU in the Municipality of Venice.
Who is Exempt from Payment
Those exempt from paying the Access Contribution, but who must be registered on the portal include all those staying in accommodation facilities located within the municipal territory (overnight tourists), residents of the Veneto Region, children up to 14 years of age, those in need of care, those participating in sports competitions, law enforcement officers on duty, the spouse, the cohabiting partner, relatives or in-laws up to the 3rd degree of residents in areas where the Access Contribution applies, and a series of further exemptions provided for in the regulation.
Information
On the portal there is a constantly updated FAQ section. City access physical checkpoints will be set up at the main access points to the city, distinguished by priority gates for residents and workers. Stewards will verify the QR code of visitors and will be available to help those who do not have it to download the access title on the spot and pay the contribution. After passing through the checkpoints, if someone does not have the access contribution, they will be fined by the verifiers who will carry out random checks.
Communication Campaign
The objective of the communication campaign will mainly be to inform and raise awareness towards sustainable tourism. The 29 days with the red stamp will aim to discourage daily tourists from visiting the city during these peaks, favoring arrival in less crowded periods. While the city will always be visitable, the messages will aim to guide tourists to experience the city more consciously and more enjoyably, transforming this visit into an experience and adopting more responsible and sustainable behaviors and to remember that tourism also represents an opportunity for individual cultural growth.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The Mayor of Venice, Italy, Luigi Brugnaro, presented at Palazzo Grazioli in Rome, with the President of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, Esma Cakir, the access contribution for the city of Venice and the communication campaign that will accompany the experimentation, which is part of the strategic vision for managing tourist flows in the city.
- The measure, which originated from the 2019 Budget Law, later updated in 2021, as explained by the Mayor, aims “to define a new system for managing tourist flows and to discourage daily tourism to Venice in specific periods, in line with the uniqueness of the city, to guarantee the full respect it deserves.
- Residents in the Veneto region on a daily visit have been exempted from the new provisions, but it is also true that introducing a reservation could discourage coming on those days and thus make the city less crowded, explained Mayor Brugnaro, during the 2-hour questioning by journalists from around the world.
