With the return of mass tourism in Italyafter two years of absence due to the pandemic, problems return to fragile Venice, where as of this summer a reservation system will be put to the test to be able to enter the city of Canals in advance of the introduction of compulsory entry in 2023.
After the arrival of some 400,000 tourists in the city during the Easter holidays, the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, announced the start-up before the summer of a computer platform in which all those who want to access the historic center will have to register.
The alderman explained to the local media that initially there will be no penalties or entry ban for those who have not bookedbut “those tourists who have made reservations access and purchase of tickets for museums and public transport will be facilitated,and they will pass in front of those who have not reserved”.
Tourists who choose to spend the night in Venetian hotels will be exempt from the reservation.
“This is the right path. We will be the first in the world in this difficult experimentation,” Brugnano added in statements to Corriere del Veneto.
The objective of the municipal administration is to always know, in real time, how many people are in the streets of the historic center at the same time and be able to act accordingly.
“A revolution that museums are already carrying out today, but no city. Let’s start experimentally, because adjustments will be necessary. We already know this, but it is the only way forward,” explained the Councilor for Tourism, Simone Venturini.
In this way the introduction will be prepared in 2023 of access with compulsory entrance to the city center, that already in the past experienced an entry system through turnstiles.
In the center of Venice, where there are about 40,000 inhabitants, more than 100,000 people stayed last Good Friday between the Lido and the historic area, not counting those who spent only the day and slept in the towns on the outskirts of the Lagoon , like Mestre.
The president of the Venice region, Veneto, Luca Zaia, assured that visitors “are always welcome”, but that with the new arrival of mass tourism, the debate on the protection of Venice and access management is reopened .
“The visit to Venice must be guaranteed to everyone,” but establishing a reservation system could be a good model, Zaia added.
The business association, Confesercenti, in Venice applauded the initiative to “start immediately with reservations as an incentive tool for quality tourism, but not as an obligation.” (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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