Venice is expanding its tourism management strategy by increasing the number of designated access fee days.

According to Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, the number of Venice Access fee days will increase from 29 in 2024 to 54 in 2025. This initiative aims to regulate tourist flows and discourage short-term day trips to the city, one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe.

The access fee will be €5 for early bookings or €10 for reservations made closer to the visit, and will be applicable between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on specific dates from April to July.

The 2025 schedule includes a continuous block from April 18 to May 4, followed by additional red dot days in May (9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31), June (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29), and July (4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27).

Exemptions to the fee include local residents, workers, students and participants in certain events, while children under 14 and overnight tourists are also excluded from the requirement. Fee payments will be facilitated through a multilingual online platform using QR codes for verification, with compliance inspections and fines for violations.

This access control system, first proposed in 2019 and refined in 2023, forms part of Venice’s broader strategy to balance the needs of its residents, local workforce and international visitors. The 2024 implementation recorded participation from 194 countries, with Italy, the United States, Germany and France among the top visitor markets. Early studies show a slight reduction in local hiker flows, underlining the potential of this approach to improve future tourism management.

For further information and to make fee payments, visit: https://cda.ve.it/en.

Source: Travelweek