Sawt Falasteen - Tickets go on sale for Venice day trippers

During 29 of the busiest days between April 25 and July 14, visitors entering the old city centre between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm will need a five-euro ticket.

The website to buy tickets went live Tuesday at https://cda.ve.it/en/, in English and Italian.

Residents or people born in the municipality are exempt and need only show their identity cards, while there are numerous other exemptions, from children under 14, to commuters and close relatives of residents.

For now, the scheme, approved last year, does not set a limit on the number of entries.

Authorities had debated for years how best to regulate the millions of visitors to the famed city, drawn by sights including St Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge and its countless picturesque canals.

The introduction of daily tickets was repeatedly postponed over concerns it would dent tourist revenue and compromise freedom of movement.

City authorities took action after UNESCO warned it could list the city as an at-risk site.

UNESCO put Venice on its world heritage list in 1987 as an "extraordinary architectural masterpiece", but has repeatedly warned that the city needs to better manage tourism.

"Venice is the first city in the world to introduce such a system, which could serve as a model for other fragile and delicate cities that must be protected," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said last year.

But he called it a "first step" rather than a "revolution" and said authorities stand ready to make changes to ensure it works.

Tickets will initially be required between April 25 and May 5, and on nine subsequent weekends in May, June and July.

Some 3.2 million tourists stayed overnight in Venice's historic centre in 2022, according to official data -- a number that does not include thousands of visitors who visit just for a day.

X.Habash--SF-PST