Pickpockets, tourist taxes and scams

With Venice receiving nearly 5.7 million visitors in 2023 (a city with a quarter-million population), it’s no surprise that some residents are tired of the constant flow of tourists. The permanent population of the historic center has fallen from 175,000 in the 1970s to less than 50,000 now. This year the canal city has put pressure on tourism like no other destination.

Neighborhood residents describe the place as “unlivable”, saying that mass tourism has turned this place into an “amusement park”. UNESCO warned overtourism and overdevelopment could see this location added to the World Heritage Site danger list.

As a preventive measure, Venetian authorities banned large cruise ships from entering the historical center via the Giudecca canal; tour groups limited to a maximum of 25 people; and banned loudspeakers. The first-of-its-kind day tripper entrance fee also went into effect this spring.

€5 (about £4.19) fee for day trippers arriving during peak periods Reviewed as “a resounding failure” Some local officials said after it was revealed the fee was encouraging visitors rather than diverting them. In fact, the number of tourists increased by around 5 thousand every day during the busy season this year.

However, the Mayor Venetian After the “successful” trial, Luigi Brugnaro decided to increase the number of days on which the fee will be applied in 2025.

How will the entrance fee change in 2025?

Next year, day visitors who book in advance to visit Venice will again pay €5; this figure will rise to €10 for bookings made less than four days in advance or on the same day.

However, the number of days on which the fee will be applied will change from 29 to 54 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between April 18 and July 27, as well as on public holidays.

The fee applies to all visitors over the age of 14. They are required to download a QR code to show inspectors tasked with checking them in at popular arrival areas, including the train station.

Those found not to have a ticket will face a fine of between 50 Euros (£41) and 300 Euros (£252). Venetian authorities will also maintain a ban on large guided tour groups.

Mr. Brugnaro explained the reason for the increase by saying there were too many tourists. He believes the city should reduce all of this at once “to give Venice the respect it deserves.”

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Watch your back – pickpocketing is still common

“I followed him for about 15 seconds, just called him a pickpocket and said ‘scusi, scusi’, then he turned around, lunged at me with his jacket and glared at me and walked away angrily, but it was completely clear what happened.” to do.”

So says travel writer Will Hide, who was recently the target of a pickpocket in Venice.

At the beginning of this year, the insurance company offer zone While reporting that Italy is one of the worst countries for pickpockets, data experts Statista found that Venice has the fifth-highest crime rate in the entire country.

National statistics show reported crimes in Venice increased by almost 9 percent last year, exceeding 2019 levels; So it’s little wonder that visitors to the canal city often fall victim to petty theft.

Despite the precautions he took in Venice, Mr. Hide had to carry his backpack on his back due to the density of the street. Luckily, he caught the woman in the act on the crowded street as she walked towards the airport water bus, foiling her plan.

He says he was inspired to confront himself by Monica Poli, a Venetian who went viral on social media voicing thieves preying on unsuspecting tourists.

Although countless tourists were grateful to Monica for saving them from being robbed, earlier this year she was attacked by a group of thieves who caught her rummaging through tourists’ backpacks at Venice’s Santa Lucia station, a hotspot for pickpockets.

Belongs to volunteer group Cittadini Non Distratti“Distracted Citizens” accounted for nearly a third of recent pickpocketing-related arrests in Venice in 2019. The group says that since tourism returned to the city in full force after the pandemic, street crime has become worse than ever, especially with the number of visitors increasing.

While pickpockets are easy to spot, they can be difficult to catch because they are familiar with narrow, diagonal streets and can escape with relative ease. Similarly, it is difficult to bring foreign victims to justice, as most of them cannot return and testify in court.

With about a million US touristsOften perceived to be wealthy and visited annually (by far the largest group among international tourists), pickpocketing is unlikely to stop any time soon.

However, whether this will distract tourists or not is another matter.

Mr. Hide admits, while the incident is still fresh in his mind: “It actually took me away from Venice a little bit” – but he doesn’t write off the return visit because it’s “more level-headed”.

“I’m actually sure I’ll be back because it’s such a great place,” he said. I.

Illegal meals and ‘music’ fees

There have long been reports of sky-high prices and a two-tier cost system for locals and tourists.

Last year, a group of Spanish tourists at a cafe in St. Mark’s Square were outraged when they were charged €70 (£59) for a Guinness, two beers and a Coca-Cola; this fee alone was 16 euros (£13.50).

In 2018, four Japanese tourists were charged a staggering €1,143 (£962) for four steaks, a plate of mixed grilled fish, two glasses of wine and a bottle of water at a restaurant near the same tourist spot.

In the same year, Caffe Lavena also St. Mark’s Squaremade headlines by charging a visitor €45 (£38) for just two bottles of water and two coffees.

While there are affordable food and drink options in the backstreets of Venice, St. Mark’s Square is notoriously expensive even if you choose the lowest-priced item on the menu. This is partly thanks to the “music” fee of at least €6 per person that everyone in the square has to pay when live performances are going on – whether they want to listen or not. Where you choose to drink can also have a direct impact on your wallet. Instead of sipping your drink at a table, drinking espresso standing at the bar of a cafe is usually half the price.

Again, these horror stories do not seem to deter large numbers of tourists from visiting. Mr. Hide told I The city was packed at the end of October, outside of the traditional peak season. Hoteliers he spoke to said there’s almost no low season in Venice at the moment: “Maybe a few weeks in January and February when there’s no carnival.”