VENICE – The lagoon city will become the first city in the world to control flows of tourists through a registration system with a quota limit, city officials have announced.

 From Jan.16, 2023, Venice will become the first city in the world with regulations on tourist flows through a registration system and an access limit. The project, which was first announced more than two years ago but then halted due to the pandemic, has been introduced by the Mayor, Luigi Brugnaro. The new regulation approved by the council will combine two mechanisms – the registration and then payment of an entry tax.

 The amount will range from 3 to 10 euros, with or without flying to Venice or the other islands of the lagoon. The aim of this is to manage flows of tourists, disincentivising day trips in some periods of the year and favouring overnight stays. It comes as an attempt to limit short term holidays that on some days literally block the streets. The control of people flow will be aided by the use of video cameras which cover the whole city. When excessive number of tourists are expected, the tax with be at its highest.

 “After many years of discussion about how to control flows of tourists, today we unveil our initiative that represents a great achievement,” said the council member for tourism, Simone Venturini. “The true revelation is the integrated system between a contribution fee for entry and registration to limit access for day trip tourism which tris to find a balance between the needs of the residents and the tourists that visit the city. We are the first in the world to introduce this system to guarantee tourists the best possible visit and all the services which they need.”

 “The scheme isn’t designed to make money but to manage flows of people,” said the council’s financial minister Michele Zuin. “Venice will always remain open to everybody. However, we believe that it is more beautiful, relaxed and safe if you have a registration system. The measure will allow residents to live in the best possible way in their own city.”

 Those who pay the tax will be subject to a fine ranging from 50 to 300 euros.

 In another measure introduced to ease tourism in the city, on an experimental basis, from Aug. 1, 2023, visitors who book their trip more than 30 days in advance will be able to get their waterbus tickets at a discounted rate at 7.50 euros instead of 9.50 euros.