第22回 の解答

Venice and the Entry Fee

Venice, one of the world's most famous historic cities, has long struggled with overtourism. On busy days, tens of thousands of visitors crowd its narrow streets and bridges, many of them day-trippers who spend little money in the city but add to congestion and waste. At the same time, the number of permanent residents in the historic center has fallen to around 50,000, as rising rents and the conversion of homes into tourist accommodation push locals out.

In 2024, Venice became the first city in the world to charge day visitors an entry fee on peak days. City officials said the aim was not to raise money but to spread visitor numbers more evenly across the year. Early results, however, were mixed. Although the fee generated more revenue than expected, it did little to reduce crowds, since a charge of a few euros was too small to discourage most tourists. The city has since experimented with higher charges for visitors who book at the last minute, but it remains unclear whether any fee low enough to be politically acceptable can significantly change behavior.

Critics also complained that charging admission risked turning a living city into a theme park. Some argue that the real problem is not the number of visitors but the loss of residents, and that policies to make housing affordable for locals would do more to preserve the city's character. Others have called for stricter limits on large tour groups and cruise ships. Meanwhile, other popular destinations facing similar pressures are watching closely, since the Venetian experiment may help show whether pricing can be an effective tool for managing tourism.