Venice will be able to charge an entrance fee to tourists for the city center

Rome – Venice will be able to charge tourists for entry to the city's historic center. This follows from the budget law approved today by members of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, reported the DPA agency. Depending on the season, the northern Italian city could request between €2.50 and €10 (64 to 257 crowns) from people wanting to visit the historical core.

The new measure is intended to affect only day tourists who wish to explore the city without staying overnight. Hotel guests in Venice pay a city tax similarly to other places. How people will pay the entrance fee is not yet clear. It is being considered that the fee could be collected, for example, on cruise ships or buses that bring tourists to the city.

The Venice city council is currently working on finding a "balanced regulation" that "would protect all those who live, study, and work in our area," wrote the mayor of the northern Italian city, Luigi Brugnaro, on Twitter.

Venice has long struggled with a large number of tourists wanting to visit the historic city. Tourists in the city far outnumber the local residents. The narrow streets become nearly impassable during the peak tourist season. Crowds are especially large when cruise ships arrive in the city with thousands of tourists on board, who immediately head out to explore.

Mass tourism and depopulation have long been sources of discontent for Venetians. Last summer, about 2,000 locals even took to the streets to protest against the tourist industry. The city has been negotiating for years about the possibility of regulating the number of tourists in the city. The goal is to promote responsible and sustainable tourism with regard to the interests of residents.

The measures included in the budget law do not only apply to Venice. The entry fee may also be charged by, for example, the island of Elba or the Aeolian Islands. They will be able to request between €2.50 and €5.