Venice charges entrance fees

Venice is one of the most sought-after destinations in Europe: the lagoon city is visited by around 30 million tourists a year. At least, that was the case before Covid-19; in the past two years, it has been significantly less. But the city's 51,000 inhabitants now fear a new onslaught. While many of them make a living from tourism and gastronomy, the sheer number of visitors has become too much for most. That endangers tourism because guests want to experience the original Venice. Every year, more residents leave the city to live on the mainland, away from the tourist crowds, expensive prices and hectic scenes in the squares and narrow streets.