Tourists ride on a gondola as the municipality prepares to charge them up to 10 Euros for entry into the lagoon city, in order to cut down the number

Venice prepares to charge tourists, require booking

submited by
Style Pass
2021-09-06 16:00:08

Tourists ride on a gondola as the municipality prepares to charge them up to 10 Euros for entry into the lagoon city, in order to cut down the number of visitors, in Venice, Italy, September 5, 2021. Picture taken September 5, 2021. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

Using 468 CCTV cameras, optical sensors and a mobile phone-tracing system, they can tell residents from visitors, Italians from foreigners, where people are coming from, where they are heading and how fast they are moving.

Every 15 minutes, authorities get a snapshot of how crowded the city is - alongside how many gondolas are sliding on the Canal Grande, whether boats are speeding and if the waters rise to dangerous levels.

Now, a month after cruise ships were banned from the lagoon, city authorities are preparing to demand that tourists pre-book their visit on an app and charge day-trippers between 3 and 10 euros to enter, depending on the time of the year.

Airport-like turnstiles are being tested to control the flow of people and, should the numbers become overwhelming, stop new visitors from getting in.

Leave a Comment