The city of Venice announced a few days ago that starting in January 2023, tourists will have to pay between three and 10 Euros to enter the city, making Venice the first city in the world to implement an entrance fee. I think this is a great idea, although not for the reason the tourism council probably intends.
Venice is instituting this as a measure to hopefully limit the tourist population choking the city's narrow, winding streets during busy season. I understand where they're coming from; I just got back from Venice a few weeks ago, and even if it actually wasn't as suffocatingly crowded as I was expecting based on the horror stories, it's certainly not a place that would be pleasant to live in.
The disconnect for me is I'm not sure charging families three to 10 Euros per person will really be enough to convince someone against visiting one of the world's premiere historic cities. The fee isn't nothing, but people willing to pay $600 in airfare, $300 in lodging, and $80 for a 30-minute gondola ride probably won't think twice about paying five Euro to actually get inside the city gate. No one is going to not see Venice in their lifetime because of this fee. It's an inconvenience more than a behavior changer in my mind.
That being said, places with such rich history, culture, and lasting beauty like Venice are worth investing in to protect. I understand by visiting the tourist destination of Venice, I am putting one more minuscule tear in the fabric of the residential city of Venice, and I want to be conscious of that. I will happily pay a small amount in an entrance fee to help protect the beautiful places I as a tourist am contributing to the slow destruction of. Venice should be thought of like an American National Park: a place that we all collectively agree should be preserved and therefore that we pay to access so those working to preserve it are sufficiently funded.
More than anything, I'm just happy Venice is responding to this clear issue without entirely shutting the doors to the city. I have a pretty strong belief that everyone in any part of the world has a right to visit any place on the globe they so choose. That doesn't mean we have a right to live in any place, and it certainly doesn't mean we have a right to exploit any place. But I think we're all on this Earth together, and if there are places we want to experience with our own two eyes for a moment, then we should be allowed to experience them.
If people want to someday experience the magic of Venice, I'm happy they will still be given the opportunity, even if that opportunity may cost 10 Euro more than it used to.
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