The City Council of Venice approved yesterday the Regulation for the application of the "access fee" to the historical center, the so-called "landing tax" introduced for the lagoon city by the last budget law. That means that starting from this year people who want to visit Venice will have to pay for it. The regulation aims "to reformulate the financial impacts of tourism and to protect the public interests of the local community". The "landing fee" will enter into force from the fifteenth day following its publication. The contribution will reduce the extraordinary costs that Venice has such as cleaning and waste removal operations, quantified in over 41 million euro a year, and guarantee maintenance of the beautiful city of Venice. It was explained during the City Council meeting, that "the goal is to make the city more livable for those who already live there and more attractive to those who choose to come to live. The contribution for the access to the city of Venice will have to be paid "by any physical person who, using any carrier accesses the ancient city of the municipality of Venice or to the other smaller islands of the lagoon, except for those excluded or exempted ". The tax will be alternative to the tourist tax and will be valid until midnight on the day of access. The access fee until the 31st of December will be 3 euros. From January 1st, 2020, however, the measure of the contribution will be set at 6 euros for every day of the year, except for three types of days. For these days, there will be established different categories. "Green stamp" will stand for limited inflow of people for which tourists will have to pay 3 euros, "red stamp" will be for critical inflow of people for which is expected to be paid 8 euros, "black stamp" means the exceptional critical inflow of tourists for which the access fee will be 10 euros.
Who will be excluded? Residents in the municipality of Venice, workers (employees or self-employed), including commuters, students (including commuters) who attend schools of all levels and universities or post-graduate courses. They are also exempt from the payment of the access fee those who stay in accommodation facilities located within the municipal territory and pay the residence tax (exemption is recognized from the day of arrival to the date of departure), residents of the metropolitan city of Venice, residents of the Veneto region, people who were born in the municipality of Venice, the holders of the Citypass card "Venezia Unica", children under the age of 6, those with severe disabilities and their companion, those who practice therapies or must make medical visits in health facilities located in the ancient city and in the smaller islands, who assists or accompanies patients in health facilities, who participates in sports competitions recognized by Coni, its federations or by sports promotion bodies. Also exempted those who access the ancient city through local public transport lines set up specifically for the exclusive transport to the sports facility in order to attend the sports competition, administrators and public authorities that go to the ancient city or to the smaller islands for institutional reasons , volunteers engaged in events or events organized or sponsored by the city, volunteers engaged in emergency activities, law enforcement and armed forces personnel.