31-07-2025
'Sick' £86 daily charge proposed for European city visited by 30,000,000
Venice has been at the forefront of the long-running battle against overtourism, and in April 2024 the Italian city introduced a €5 (£4.20) fee for all day-trippers.
The first-of-its-kind access fee was implemented in a bid to curb 'hit-and-run' tourists who flood the city for a few hours without staying overnight.
Then, following a trial run, authorities doubled down, increasing the original €5 (£4.20) fee to €10 (£8.30) — but only for last-minute travellers who book less than four days in advance.
The controversial charge has covered 54 days in 2025 — ending July 31, for thos visiting during the peak hours of 8.30am to 4pm. It started between April 18 and May 4 and then every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May to the end of July. This is up from 29 days in 2024.
But now, a Venetian business man has proposed that the charge for tourists should be hiked even further — and it would seriously impact the purse strings of those heading to the city.
Setrak Tokatzian suggested a hefty €100 (£86) entry fee for day-tripping guests, calling the scenes he's witnessed 'obscene rivers of tourists'.
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Setrak, who is the president of St Mark's Square Association, had some harsh words when he spoke to local newspaper, Corriere del Veneto.
'There's a complete explosion of overtourism like never before, with a type of people wandering around without entering shops or even knowing where they are,' he said.
'They move from one place to another, often guided by tour operators, boarding gondolas, hopping into taxis, rushing here and there, but no one buys anything', he added.
It's estimated that around 30 million tourists visit Venice annually, with seven out of 10 (21,000,000 people) only staying for the day. But Setrak, who owns a jewellers in Venice, wasn't shy in sharing how he felt about those visitors, adding: 'I wonder, where are the nice people, the ones who care about the city, the ones who truly bring something to the city?'
He added: 'These people don't even know what culture is.'
While Setrak is not a law maker, local voices have been listened to when it comes to making decisions to curb tourism in Venice. And after the fee was doubled between 2024 and 2025, it remains to be seen what tourists could be expected to pay in the future.
However, some argue the access fee doesn't actually do much to deter visitors, with Claudio Vernier, Strak's predeccessor as the pesident of the St Mark's Square Association, calling it a 'sick system'.
Writing on Facebook he said: 'To believe that an entry fee of €100 can solve this sick system is a pure illusion.'
He continued: 'The soul of the city is emptied, and with it the community that inhabits it. Asking €100 to enter does not educate the visitor. Doesn't teach them respect, doesn't make them more aware.
'On the contrary, those who spend a similar amount will expect a perfect, luxurious, frictionless 'theme park' experience — an expectation that cannot be met in a lively, historic, fragile city.'
It goes without saying that Venice is deserving of its popularity, but other destinations around the world also offer a slice of similar charm. Tavira, in Portugal, has been referred to as 'the Venice of the Algarve'.
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