Venice to keep tourist entry charge, with higher rates at peak times

Venice wants to keep charging an entrance fee for day visitors when a trial period for the charge - the world's first such scheme - ends this weekend.

The city plans to take account of demand in its new pricing and double the fee from €5 ($5.4) to up to €10 when the city on Italy's Adriatic coast is particularly busy, Michele Zuin, the city councillor responsible for finances, told a local newspaper.

The nearly month-long trial put more than than €2 million ($2.1 million) into the city's coffers. On some days, more than 25,000 paying guests were registered.

Zuin, in a story in Il Gazzettino, said that from 2025 onwards, a "base rate" would apply to day visitors some of the time. On "critical days" however, visitors would need to pay a maximum rate of €10.

The city intends to take its time with an official report after the last two test days this Saturday and Sunday. First, the collected data will be evaluated. During the trial period, a €5 entrance fee was charged between 8:30 am (0630 GMT) and 4 pm. Visitors could acquire a QR code via the internet and download it to their mobile phones to pay.

With an estimated 15 million guests per year, Venice is among the most visited cities in the world. The mass tourism brings a lot of money into the city's treasury, but also causes considerable damage.