Brits face £250 fines ahead of new rules being introduced in European city this month
HOLIDAYMAKERS could face fines of more than £250 if they don’t comply with new rules being enforced at a popular European city break destination this month.
The charges would hit those who haven’t paid a €5(£4.30) entry fee, with the city the first to trial the new system.
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Thousands of people have paid the entry fee to visit Venice this spring as the city tries to reduce the hordes of tourists clogging its streets and canals.
More than 15,000 visitors have bought tickets to enter the city on April 25, the first of 29 days this year when day trippers must pay to get in.
Another 51,000 people qualified for free entry because they work or study there.
“We want to defend this city and make it liveable,” Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor, said.
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Venice’s tourism industry has bounced back after the pandemic, with 40,000 day trippers on peak days as well as 40,000 booked into accommodation.
Their number dwarfs the city’s resident population of 49,000.
Visitors paying online will get a code they can show inspectors on their phone on arrival, with violators risking fines of up to €300 (£256).
People arriving at the city’s mainline train and bus stations will find payment points that have been installed to enable them to pay.
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There will be no cap on visitors during the trial and no other physical barriers or turnstiles preventing those who haven’t paid from getting in.
However, anyone due to pay the fee who is found within the checkpoints could be liable for a penalty of between €50 to €300.
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Tourists who stay overnight are exempt from the charge, as are students, commuters and residents’ relatives.
Simone Venturini, Venice’s tourism chief, said: “We are running TV ads to alert day trippers.
“We don’t need to worry about visitors [from overseas] who will more likely sleep in the city.”
Visitors will be able to see online how many bookings have been made, which may persuade them to come on a less busy day, officials said.
Everything you need to know about visiting Italy
- Brits must have at least three months left on their passport from the day they plan to leave the country.
- Tourists do not need a visa if visiting for up to 90 days in 180 days.
- Make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- Travellers may be asked to show hotel booking confirmations and that they have enough money for their stay at the border.
- Holidaymakers may also need to show proof of insurance.
- Italy is one hour ahead of the UK.
- The country uses the euro with around €10 working out to £8.55.
- Flights to Italy from the UK take between 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the destination.
“We have had to enforce one-way systems for pedestrians in alleys that are 90cm wide – we need the city to be less crowded on certain key days,” Brugnaro added.
Michele Zuin, the city’s finance chief, said: “It’s not about money, Venice had a surplus of €54m (£46m) last year.”
The scheme will run from April 25 to May 5, then most weekends until mid-July.
Brugnaro said the ticketing system was “a format that other cities can study” as over-tourism clogs up destinations around the world.
“About 20 cities have asked us for information about what we are doing,” he said, including one in the UK, which he declined to name.
Venturini said he had been inundated with questions about the scheme at a recent UN tourism conference.
“We are guinea pigs, and there was great interest,” he said.
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Meanwhile, these new rules have banned tourists taking photos near an attraction in Spain.
And this Spanish city is also cracking down on tourists with new rules.
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