Venice is set to introduce an entry fee of up to €10 a day from June in a bid to tackle overtourism.
Following a busy Easter weekend with an estimated 125,000 tourists, the Italian city has announced it will roll out an entry fee pilot scheme where visitors must book and pay to enter.
Tourists will enter through an electronic turnstile, and pay a charge of between €3 and €10, which will vary depending on how busy the city is that day.
MORE: Thailand set to charge tourist fee from April
If the scheme is successful, it will be made permanent from 2023.
Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro wrote on Twitter: “Today many have understood that making the booking system is the right path to take for a more balanced management of tourism.
“We will be the first in the world to carry out this difficult experimentation.”
The Italian city has tried to cope with rising numbers of visitors for many years and last summer it banned large cruise ships.
Pic: Lichtwolke/Shutterstock.com