The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, welcomed Thursday’s introduction of access tickets worth 5 euros for visiting Venice, which he declared a success in the efforts to limit the flow of tourists that risk suffocating the lagoon city, reports Friday the Italian agency ANSA, reports Agerpres.
The city imposes this fee experimentally, for a period of 29 days this year, when the number of visitors will be considerable.
On Thursday, Italy marked the national holiday Liberation Day.
The city of Venice registered 15,700 visitors who paid the access ticket on the first day.
Residents, commuters, pupils and students, children under 14 and those visiting the city on the occasion of sporting events are exempt from the obligation to buy the access ticket, as well as people staying in the city overnight, as they already pay a tourist tax.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but we have to do something to preserve the city,” said Brugnaro.
Hundreds of local residents organized a protest against the access ticket to the city, saying that it effectively turns the city into a kind of “Veniceland” theme park, notes ANSA.
The ticket was introduced through controls at the entry points in the city. Day visitors who enter Venice without a ticket risk a fine of up to 300 euros.
Tags: mayor Venice declares introduction access ticket city success protests population
