Venice should charge visitors £87 a DAY to reduce 'tide' of tourists who 'don't even know what culture is', local business leader demands

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

Venice has made five million Euro (£4.7million) with a daily five Euro (£4.35) tourist tax this summer, but some businesses want it raised to clamp down on 'unclassy' visitors.
The charge was introduced in April as part of a trial run following one last year and was payable over 54 selected days until last Sunday by day trippers who visited the iconic Italian lagoon city.
Officials said that the charge, payable by visitors who arrived for the day between 8.30am and 4pm, was paid by 720,000 compared to 485,000 last year.
However, Setrak Tokatzian, president of the Venice's historic Piazza San Marco Association of small businesses, has urged council chiefs to up the tax to an eye-watering 100 Euro (£87).
Mr Tokatzian, who runs a jewellery shop in the heart of Venice, said it would be worth it because many of the 30million people who visit the city each year are lowering the tone of the city.
In what might be considered a rather snobby interview with the local Corriere del Veneto, he said: 'Every day I see rivers of people coming to the city, but without a goal.
'They move from side to side, often guided by tour operators, climb gondolas, and I'm sorry to say but this sort of tourism is obscene.
'There is a total over explosion of tourists, these people wander around and don't even bother going into any of the shops, they don't even know where they are going.
'No one goes into any of the designer stores and bus branded goods, they just buy fake goods from the street sellers.
'But it's not just that. I have also heard from hoteliers who tell me there has been a drop in overnight guests and the restaurants tell me the same thing.
'I myself have seen people, when they do stop to eat something, divide up a plate of pasta or share a drink. People line up at fountains to get water instead of buying bottles from a shop.
'Where are the classy people, the ones interested in the city and who really bring something to it?'
Earlier his year Venice was the venue for billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's wedding to Lauren Sanchez.
And Mr Tokatzian was one of many including the mayor, who hit out at critics of the event.
He added of over tourism: 'I think it is a widespread phenomena throughout Italy, from what I have head from counterparts in Milan and other cities, it's all the same.
'In St Mark's Square no one stops to look in the shop windows, a tide of people just arrive from the mainland in the morning on boats and then go home in the afternoon, without even appreciating where they have been.
'I personally believe we need to put some sort of threshold on this over tourism, and charge these people 100 Euro.
'There are tides of people coming in from the campsites nearby every day with wrist bands on and they don't even know what culture is, and you can see it in them when they arrive.
'And then what's worse is that they leave without buying a thing, except from the street hawkers who in my eyes make money illegally, and this is a daily battle for us.'
He went on: 'The tourists come; they don't buy anything but they are happy for someone to take their picture feeding grains to the pigeons in in St Mark's Square.'
The idea was dismissed by consumer group, Assoutenti, with spokesman Gabriele Melluso saying it was 'madness and unworkable'.
He said: 'The truth, and the businesses all know it, is that tourists don't buy in Venice because the prices are too high.
'To have a bite to eat in a cafe or restaurant in the city of Venice, in one of the tourist areas, is to pay some of the highest prices in Italy and that's why when people do visit, they try and save money.
'To combat over tourism in Venice and Italy, we don't need unrealistic taxes that transform the beauty of our country into something just for the rich but a well booking system and better PR.'
No one from Venice City Council was immediately available to discuss the idea.