Faced with the risk of sinking and an economy crowding out local residents, Venice last month launched a measure that was as ambitious as it was controversial: a so-called “tourism tax” on day trippers. But after a few weeks, the floating city has done little to prove that it has found the solution to managing its love-hate relationship with 20 million annual visitors.
The northern Italian city collected just under €1 million ($1.1 million) in fees in its first 11 days after charging visitors €5 ($5.36) for a single-day entry, new data shows.
However, this charge does not appear to have had the intended effect of deterring tourists from making a short stop.
The latest data shows that 70,000 visitors came to Venice on May 19. This is more than the 65,000 visitors registered on June 2 last year, which is a national holiday in Italy and before the tourism tax was introduced. Since its debut, 195,000 tickets have been sold to visitors.
Had the numbers not declined, Venice officials would at least have expected the tax to support the economic contribution of traditionally stingy day travelers, who don't spend as much as long-term visitors but make up 80% of Venice's total traveler population each year. .
But the tax may not help the city's finances much. If Venice continues to collect at the rate it did in its first 11 days of operation, it may not even be able to cover the large expenses involved in implementing the project, at least during the trial period.
Between creating an online reservation system, launching media campaigns, and paying the salaries of officers to check tickets, an Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera It was reported that the city spent 3 million euros ($3.3 million) on the project.
The tourist tax was imposed on “29 peak days” between April and July as part of a trial period. Extrapolating the current $1.1 million in Venice over the first 11 such days, the city may not be able to recoup its initial outlay before the end of July.
Local opposition
Whether the “tourist tax” will be extended beyond the current trial period is up for debate, given the backlash it has received from locals.
Venice residents gathered in the city's streets in preparation for the launch of the tax last month to protest its implementation.
The motivations for the opposition were wide-ranging. Some locals fear the project will turn Venice into a “theme park” and do little to enhance the city's reputation on the world stage.
Others accused Venice of using entrance fees as a way to distract the local government from its failure to address the city's housing crisis.
They must repair thousands of abandoned houses in this city. However, it is unlikely to happen. “Instead, residents keep leaving, the city is empty, and all we are doing is promoting tourism,” said Nicola Osardi, a Venice resident. euronews Last month.
Voices calling for the tax to be scrapped have grown louder since data showed it did not reduce visitor numbers.
“The entry ticket measure in Venice has failed miserably because the numbers are calculated, and they say that the ticket has in no way reduced the flow of tourists or affected arrivals, but instead the arrivals are numerically superior compared to previous years,” said Giovanni Andrea Martini of the Council Group. The city called All The City Together at a press conference this week.
The “tourist tax” is just the latest move by the local government to rein in the effects of day trippers.
In January, the city imposed a limit on the number of people gathering in the city at 25 people, about half the size of a typical tour bus.
Venice's relationship with its most lucrative source of income, visitors, is likely to remain complicated. But officials hope they can reverse the so-called “miserable failure” before disgruntled locals force their hand.