Italy’s famed travel destination Venice has wrapped up its pilot programme of charging a EUR 5 (USD 5.46) entrance fee for day trippers arriving on particularly congested days, hoping it would deter some people from visiting.

However, it has failed to deliver and according to reports, a proposal to double the entrance fee for the famed Italian destination is being considered for next year. A proposal to double the fee to EUR 10  is being considered for next year.

Opponents of the move, mainly tourism stakeholders, in the fragile lagoon city, called the experiment a failure after collecting a tax of over EUR 2 million.

The statement adds that over the first 11 days of the trial period, an average of 75,000 visitors were recorded in the city. 

There were 10,000 more each day than on three indicative holidays in 2023, citing figures provided by the city based on cellphone data that tracks arrivals in the city.

The entrance levy was designed to manage the flow of tourists when visitor numbers are at their peak. 

Several dozen activists gathered outside the Santa Lucia train station overlooking a teeming canal to protest the entrance fee, saying that it did little to dissuade visitors from arriving on peak days as envisioned, according to reports.

Simone Venturini, the city councillor responsible for tourism and social cohesion, says the initial assessment of the programme was positive and confirmed the system would be renewed in 2025, but acknowledged that there were still large crowds.

Over the last two and a half months, nearly 438,000 tourists have paid the entrance tax, raising revenues of some EUR 2.19 million, according to reports.

The levy was not applied to people staying in hotels in Venice, who are already charged a lodging tax. Exemptions also applied to children under 14, residents of the region, students, workers and people visiting relatives, among others.

Officials say that the money would be used for essential services, which cost more in a city traversed by canals, including rubbish removal and maintenance.

According to reports, opponents of the plan want policies that encourage the repopulation of Venice’s historic centre, which has been losing residents to the more convenient mainland for decades, including placing limits on short-term rentals.

Protestors have also raised concerns about the system of electronic and video surveillance that the city introduced in 2020. 

This they say was done to monitor cellphone data of people arriving in the city, which is the backbone of the system to control tourism. 

The statement adds that placards included warnings about use of personal data and lack of data privacy. 

Opposition has advocated instead a free booking system for visitor slots to prevent lower-income families from being priced out, but that was able to track prospective tourist arrivals.