Venice became the first city in the world to impose an entrance fee on day-trippers in 2024. Because Venice is a city built on water, its annual maintenance costs alone exceed 100 million euros (approximately 176.9 billion won). The City of Venice is using the entrance fees collected from tourists to cover these maintenance costs. The fee system, which initially charged 5 euros on 29 days between April and July in its first year, was expanded to 54 days in 2025, with the fee doubling for visitors who booked within three days of their visit. This year, the number of days the fee applies has increased further to 60. The fee is paid online, and visitors receive a QR code that is scanned at city entrances and major attractions. Overnight tourists, residents of the Veneto region, and children under 14 are exempt.
The person behind the increase is Simone Venturini, the mayor of Venice, who took office last May. Having designed the system while serving as the city councilor in charge of tourism, he told the British daily *The Guardian*, “The entrance fee is currently the only effective means of regulating the number of daily visitors.” His assessment is that stronger deterrents are needed during periods when tourist pressure peaks. The revenue generated is planned to be used for city operations and maintenance and conservation costs. The proposed increase is designed to automatically raise fees once bookings exceed a certain threshold and is set to be submitted to the Italian government and parliament.
Mayor Venturini, who advocates for the fee increase, argues that “the current entrance fee is not an effective deterrent.” Venice charges 5 euros for reservations made at least three days in advance and 10 euros—double the rate—for last-minute payments. However, of the 514,710 payments made during the first 42 days of this year, fewer than half were made in advance at the discounted rate. This means that more than half of the tourists did not turn back, even after paying double the fee. Michele Chuin, the city councilor in charge of the budget who is working with Mayor Venturini to revise the system, explained in an interview with the Italian daily *Il Gazzettino*: “The problem is the numbers. There’s not much difference between 5 euros and 10 euros. If the amount had been higher, the effect would have been different.”
This year marks the third and final year of the pilot program for the Venice entrance fee. Councilor Chuin predicted, “Once summer is over, we’ll have to make a decision on finalizing the system.” Daniel Minotto, director of the Venice Hotel Association, “welcomed” the proposed increase, noting, “We expect it to help spread tourist demand during peak season to other days.”
