Venice to start charging tourists a fee to enter the city

Lots of us dream of cruising down one of the Venice's waterways in a gondola but a new initiative means your getaway could cost you extra.

Venice will soon start charging visitors to enter the city. Tourists will have to pay up to €10 to get in for a day after the Italian parliament approved a new tax. Profits of the so-called 'landing tax' will go to a fund to help clean up the city's streets and canals, reports BBC News. Rubbish has long been an issue for the city, which welcomes an estimated 20 to 30 million tourists each year. Venice, home to just over 55,000 people, has felt a huge strain as a result of its visitor numbers in recent years. [caption id="attachment_444130" align="alignnone" width="594"] Spectators gather along Venice's Grand Canal for the 'Befana' Regatta on January 6, 2019.[/caption] Day-trippers will pay between €2.50 and €10 depending on the time of year. This charge will only apply to people visiting for the day as anyone staying overnight will already be paying a tourist tax. A similar charge will also come into effect on Elba island, part of the Tuscan archipelago, and the Aeolian Islands off Sicily. It's not yet clear how visitors will be charged but it has been reported in the Italian media that the fee could be added to the cost of a bus, train or boat fare into the city. News of the charge comes ahead of Unesco's decision this year of whether to put Venice on its list of endangered heritage sites because of the effects of mass tourism.