Yahoo News Venice issues strict new rules for UK tourists - as locals rage 'are you joking?'
Venice has introduced stringent new regulations for UK tourists, much to the disbelief of local residents who have reacted with incredulity, exclaiming: "Are you joking? " Venice, a popular holiday destination for Brits within the European Union, has begun charging visitors for entry.
Under a new scheme designed to curb excessive tourism, day-trippers will now be required to pay a €5 fee to visit the Italian city. The charge is part of an effort to protect the Unesco world heritage site from the impact of mass tourism by discouraging day visitors.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro explains that the fee is intended to make the city more "liveable". However, Matteo Secchi, leader of Venessia.com, a residents' activist group, told the Guardian newspaper in the UK: "I can tell you that almost the entire city is against it,".
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Matteo expressed his disapproval, stating: "You can't impose an entrance fee to a city; all they're doing is transforming it into a theme park. This is a bad image for Venice ... I mean, are we joking? " Federica Toninello, head of ASC, a housing association, added: "They think this measure will solve the problem, but they haven't really understood the consequences of mass tourism on a city like Venice."
She continued: "For a start, €5 will do nothing to deter people. But day trippers aren't the issue; things like the shortage of affordable housing are ... What we need are policies to help residents, for example, making rules to limit things like Airbnb.", reports Birmingham Live.
"It will serve to collect fundamental data and help regulate tourist flows, which during certain periods of the year risking damaging a fragile city like Venice," Tommaso Sichero, the president of the association for Venice shop owners, told Avvenire newspaper.
Venice tourism councillor Simone Venturini added: "For the first time since Venice affixed itself to mass tourism, we are trying to do something."
