Clashes with the police came today in Venice after protesters spoke out against the introduction of a tourist tax to enter the Italian city, reported CNBC.
Some of the demonstrators tried to break through the police cordon in the Piazzale Roma area and enter the historic part of Venice. Others carried placards reading “Venice is not for sale, it is protected” and “No to the tax, Yes to homes and services for all”.
Venice has become the first city in the world to introduce a fee for tourists who visit it, according to CBS. From today they pay a fee of 5 euros. It is paid for visiting the city between 08:30 and 16:00. The fee does not apply to residents of the Veneto region, to people who work, study or were born in Venice, as well as to tourists who have booked overnight stays in the city. Children under 14 also do not pay the tourist tax.
Tourists with overnight reservations in Venice will have to present a special QR code via their smartphones to the officials who collect the entrance fees. For those who do not own smartphones, there are special stands with representatives of the municipal authorities, before whom they can prove that they have the right to free access to the city, according to Reuters.
Tourists who owe the €5 fee and don’t pay it can be fined between €50 and €300.
The toll will initially be collected on a trial basis until May 5, and then on most weekends until mid-July. A decision will be made by the end of the year whether the new measure will become permanent.
The trial initiative is an attempt to discourage tourists visiting the city for just one day at peak times.
The historic center of Venice, with its famous St. Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge and numerous canals, now has fewer than 50,000 permanent residents, and in high season sometimes more than twice as many tourists a day.
According to estimates, the city was visited by around 15 million people last year.
