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The Sun
01-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Top European holiday spot urged to charge £86 a DAY to ‘stem obscene rivers of tourists'
AN iconic European city is considering implementing a tourist charge to combat overcrowding. The popular destination welcomes around 30 million tourists each year and has already taken measures to "stem obscene rivers of tourists". A Venice businessman has now proposed the city introduce a €100 (£86) entry fee for day-tripping tourists. Setrak Tokatzian, who is the president of St Mark's Square resident's association, said the charge would help to combat what he called 'obscene' overtourism in the historic Italian city. As of right now, seven out of 10 visitors to only stay in Venice for a day, and often do not spend money in local shops. The city became the first metropolitan area globally to charge day-trippers an admission fee, which was introduced on 25 April 2024. Holidaymakers with hotel or Airbnb reservations within the city are exempt but other tourists have to pay €5 (£4.20) to visit. Significant increase The proposed €100 (£86) fee would be 20 times more expensive, aiming to deter tourists who do not contribute to the local economy. Tokatzian described Venice as being is in a 'state of calamity' in an interview with local newspaper Corriere del Veneto. 'This tourism is obscene, 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. Tokatzian, who owns a jewellery shop in the city, called for the charge in order to stem the 'rivers of people' arriving in Venice. '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 explained. The tiny coastal village named the Venice of England is home to the country's best B&B He added that tourists who 'don't know what culture is' often bypass storefronts to spend money on 'illegal vendors' selling grain for pigeons and roses. A €5 (£4.20) to €10 (£8.35) levy was trialled between April and July this year. Last-minute tourists who made reservations less than four days in advance were charged the higher rate. Daytrippers visiting during peak hours, 8:30AM to 4PM, have to pay the daily fee. Meanwhile, overnight tourists with hotel reservations are exempt from the charge. Which? reveals the destinations that have highest and lowest amount of tourist Ten highest: Zakynthos (149,886.95) Istarska Zupanija (Istria in Croatia) (133,466.93) Fuerteventura (118,720.31) Lanzarote (117,785.17) Dodecanese Islands - Kalymnos, Karpathos – Iroiki Nisos Kasos, Kos, Rodos (113,790.45) Tiroler Oberland, Austria (112,716.37) Pinzgau-Pongau, Austria (Salzburg Alps) (109,009.7) Cyclade Island group- Andros, Thira, Kea, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, Tinos (104,152.63) Kerkyra, Corfu (100,079.59) Außerfern, Austria (97,299.12) Ten of the lowest: Benevento (398.17) Rybnicki, Poland (351.1) Targovishte, Bulgaria (332.15) Arr. Soignies, Belgium (284.11) Podunavska oblast, Serbia (277.83) Severoistočen, North Macedonia (177.84) Olt, South West Romania (148.3) Călăraşi, South East Romania (123.97) Dytikos Tomeas Athinon, region near Athens (64.13) Teleorman, Romania (21.54) Tourists per square km (highest) Paris (418,280.1) Central Athens (88,534.92) Copenhagen (63,943.88) Tourists per square km (Lowest) Svalbard, Norway (2.4) Teleorman, Romania (1.21) Jan Mayen, Norwegian volcanic island (0) Most overnight stays (highest) Mallorca (51,193,029) Paris (43,919.010) Rome (41,135,744) Overnight stays (Lowest) Zasavska, Slovenia (22,990) Teleorman, Romania (6,983) Jan Mayen (uninhabited Norwegian island) (0) Exemptions are also granted to residents, Venetian-born visitors, students, and workers. Opposition to fees The proposal faces opposition as critics argue that such a high rate would not teach visitors 'respect'. The former president of the St Mark's Square association Claudio Vernier shared his thoughts on social media. 'To believe that an entry fee of €100 can solve this sick system is a pure illusion," he said. 'Asking 100 euros to enter does not educate the visitor. Doesn't teach them respect, doesn't make them more aware." He pointed out that charging such a high entry rate may work against the city. '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," he said. More on Venice And a recent discovery surrounding 'The Lion of Venice' statue has left people shocked. Plus, information on why Venice is sinking and when it will be underwater? Brits could face a fine of up to £250 ahead of new rules in the city.
The Independent
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
£86 entry fee proposed for day-trippers to holiday hotspot
A Venice businessman, Setrak Tokatzian, has proposed a €100 (£86) entry fee for day-tripping tourists to combat what he calls 'obscene' overtourism in the historic Italian city. Mr Tokatzian, the president of St Mark's Square residents' association, said that around 30 million tourists visit Venice annually, with seven out of 10 being day-trippers who often do not spend money in local shops. Venice became the first city globally to charge day-trippers an admission fee on 25 April 2024, although holidaymakers with hotel or Airbnb reservations are exempt. The proposed €100 fee would be 20 times more expensive than the current charge of €5, and would aim to deter tourists who do not contribute to the local economy. The proposal faces opposition, with critics arguing that such a high fee would not teach visitors 'respect'.
The Independent
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Calls to raise Venice entry fee to stem ‘obscene rivers of tourists'
A Venice businessman has proposed a €100 (£86) entry fee to stop day-tripping tourists from descending on the city without spending. Setrak Tokatzian, president of St Mark's Square residents' association, said that the historic Italian city is in a 'state of calamity' in an interview with local newspaper Corriere del Veneto. He said: 'This tourism is obscene. '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.' Tokatzian, a jewellery shop owner, called for the charge in order to stem the 'rivers of people' arriving in Venice. Around 30 million tourists visit Venice annually. Seven out of 10 stay only for the day. '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', Tokatzian added. The residents' association president said that tourists who 'don't know what culture is' often bypass storefronts to spend money on 'illegal vendors' selling grain for pigeons and roses. On 25 April 2024, Venice became the first metropolis in the world to charge admission for daytrippers. An almost £90 fee would be 20 times more expensive for travellers than the usual €5 (£4.20) charge. A €5 to €10 levy was trialled between April and July this year, with last-minute tourists who make reservations less than four days in advance paying the higher €10 (£8.35) rate. Daytrippers visiting during peak hours – 8.30am to 4pm – have to pay the daily fee, while overnight tourists with hotel reservations are exempt from the charge. Exemptions are also granted to residents, Venetian-born visitors, students and workers. Not everyone agrees with calls to increase the Venice entry tax. Claudio Vernier, former president of the St Mark's Square association, wrote on social media that 'to believe that an entry fee of €100 can solve this sick system is a pure illusion'. Vernier said: 'Asking 100 euros 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.' Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: 'I was in Venice on the first day entry fees were charged, and it was clear that the €5 levy had no significant effect in reducing tourist numbers. 'Much higher fees would certainly have an impact, but to avoid means testing visitors, there must also be times of the year when admission is free.'
Telegraph
29-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Venice urged to charge €100 tourist tax
Venice is so overwhelmed by low-budget tourists who spend a pittance that visitors should be charged €100 each to enter the city, one of its most prominent business leaders has said. 'We're in a state of emergency – tourists no longer buy anything. I'd make them pay €100 a head,' said Setrak Tokatzian, the owner of a historic jewellery shop and the president of the association of businesses of St Mark's Square, in the heart of the World Heritage city. Day-trippers are already charged between €5 and €10 per person to enter Venice under a controversial scheme introduced by the city council last year. But Mr Tokatzian's proposal goes far beyond that. He takes issue, in particular, with budget holidaymakers who stay in campsites on the mainland and arrive in Venice on coaches and buses. 'Every day I see rivers of people who arrive in the city but have no real goal. They drift from one part of the city to another, led by tour guides, they go on gondolas, they take water taxis, they rush here and there, but no one buys anything,' he said. 'They arrive in the morning on coaches and they leave in the afternoon without having spent a euro. I hate to say it, but this kind of tourism is dreadful.' High-end businesses are suffering from the preponderance of low spending 'hit-and-run' day-trippers, he added, saying: 'You don't see people walking past with handbags bought in designer shops, as used to happen in the past.' When tourists do buy bags and belts, they buy cheap imitation goods from unauthorised hawkers, many of them Senegalese and Bangladeshi immigrants. 'I've seen families sharing a single dish in a restaurant. There are queues at the water fountains to get water because people don't even want to buy that. I ask myself, where are the beautiful people, those who are interested in the city, those who really bring something to the city?' said Mr Tokatzian. He said day-trippers 'don't walk into shops but instead take selfies as they feed seeds to the pigeons [in St Mark's Square]. Legal business owners don't sell anything, but we have to watch the hawkers make hundreds of euros a day selling stuff illegally. Does that seem fair?' But Roberto Panciera, the president of Confcommercio Venezia, another business association, said it was wrong to victimise tourists on a budget. Venice is having a tough time economically because of other broader factors, from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to inflation, the cost of living crisis and the tariff wars threatened by Donald Trump. Retail businesses in Venice are also being hurt by online shopping. 'Tourists often photograph what they see in a shop window and then look for similar and less expensive products on the internet,' said Mr Panciera. Venice city council, meanwhile, announced that the entrance fee initiative has come to an end for this year. More than 720,000 visitors paid between €5 and €10 to enter the city on the 54 peak days during which the levy was charged, the city said. The fee, which applied to day-trippers and not to people spending at least one night in a hotel in Venice, brought in €5.4 million. Last year, when the entrance fee was introduced, it applied to 29 peak days and brought in €2.4 million to the city's coffers. Critics of the project said the entrance fee had made no difference to limiting the number of tourists swamping Venice. They claim that little by little, Venice is haemorrhaging inhabitants and becoming a cultural Disneyland – an issue highlighted by the high-profile wedding last month of Jeff Bezos, one of the world's richest men, to Lauren Sanchez, an American television journalist. Campaigners accused the Amazon founder of treating Venice as a rich man's playground, a picturesque backdrop to a wedding believed to have cost tens of millions of dollars. Venice's population decline has been precipitous, from more than 170,000 residents in the 1950s to around 48,000 now. But the authorities insist the tourist entrance ticket was helping tackle the scourge of over-tourism. Venice became the first city in the world to introduce a payment system for tourists when it adopted the scheme in April last year. 'The system has worked well in its second year, showing that we can reconcile the aim of regulating the flow of day-trippers with maintaining accessibility and transparency,' said Michele Zuin, of Venice city council. 'The aim of the system is not to make money – the funds received will be used for projects that will benefit Venice's residents.' Simone Venturini, the council official in charge of tourism, said the data collected from the entrance fee scheme would be analysed and used to better manage tourist numbers. Venice has adopted a number of measures in the last year to try to manage the impact of over-tourism, including limiting the size of tourist groups to 25. The council has also decreed that guides can no longer use loudspeakers because they are annoying and intrusive for other visitors.
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The insider secrets to avoiding Venice's summer crowds
There are days when visitors to this exquisite jewel box of a city outnumber locals two-to-one, and when getting from the station to St Mark's Square is a battle. But despite this, Venice never loses its capacity to enchant: stepping out of the station to be greeted by a glittering canal with the dome of San Simeon Piccolo beyond remains heart-stopping, whether you're doing it for the first time or the 100th. Even at peak visitor periods, the worst excesses can be avoided and you're never more than a bridge away from secluded Venice with its quiet campi (squares), churches concealing luminous Madonnas, handsome Gothic palazzi – and bustling neighbourhood hangouts. Because there's more to Venice than peerless artistic riches from centuries past: it's also a hive of contemporary activity (not to mention its recent role playing host to the wedding of the century). Beyond the alternating Art and Architecture Biennale shows, which showcase all that's cutting edge internationally, the city's dwindling population works hard to keep contemporary Venice creative, productive and very vibrant. For further inspiration, explore our guides to the city's best hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, attractions and free things to do. What's new in Venice this summer See: Photography exhibition Le Stanze della Fotografia, on the island of San Giorgio, is hosting the striking, provocative and occasionally shocking works of American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. This major exhibition examines the sensuality of the human body, the beauty of flowers and the dialogue between photography and classical sculpture, and is running from April 10 to November 23. Relax: Greenery at the Redentore church Venice's tantalising gardens are mostly behind high walls, in private hands. The Hortus Redemptoris – a glorious hectare of vegetable and herb beds behind Palladio's superb Redentore church on Venice's Giudecca island – has been restored and opened to the public last autumn. It's open from Thursdays to Saturdays, between 10am and 5.30pm. Discover: Intelligence at the architecture exhibition Intelligence in various forms – natural, artificial and collective – is the theme of this year's international architecture exhibition, running from May 10 to November 25, from the Biennale organisation. Architects and designers from 66 countries push the bounds of conceptual research in exhibits inside Venice's Arsenale and in the charming national pavilions dotted around the Giardini della Biennale. How to spend your weekend Day one: morning Start the day in Da Bonifacio, a tiny café with a lovely crazy-paving mosaic floor, hidden away behind the Doge's Palace. The coffee's good – ask for the very Venetian macchiatone if you like the idea of a cappuccino with less milk – and it's difficult to resist cakes like the pasta con le mandorle (almond slice). The wondrous, mosaic-studded interior of Venice's mother church, St Mark's Basilica doesn't open to visitors until 9.30am (2.30pm on Sunday), but anyone is welcome to attend morning mass. Take your pick between the 8am and 10am slots. On Sundays and feast days, the 10am event is a sung mass in the central nave, and there's nothing like plainsong to bring out the magic of St Mark's. Afterwards, visit the Museum of St Mark's, which affords spectacular views over the piazza; entry is €7.
