Venice readies day-trip booking system to ease crowds

[Sherman A1]

Venice plans to trial a reservation system for day-trippers, officials have said, in a bid to ease over-tourism as visitors flock back to the Italian city following the pandemic.

The pay-to-visit scheme will not cap tourist numbers but aims to entice some people to visit during the low season by charging them less.

"We will start with an experimental phase during which the reservation will not be mandatory, but optional" and will cost nothing, Venice's deputy tourism councillor Simone Venturini said.

Visitors just popping in for the day will be encouraged to sign up through incentives "such as discounts on museum admissions", he said. The start date will be announced in the coming weeks.

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2022/0420/1293336-venice-italy-booking-crowds/

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1. Not starting until 2023

Will be part of the problem in a few weeks.

[Thunderbeast]

2. Tourism is killing all of the best places.

Way too many people now affuluent enough to travel.

In the US, the national parks are over run. Close to home, the Columbia River Gorge will implement a timed permit system on the historic highway to see the waterfalls.

In the US, the main problem is that tourists resist using transit to see these places. The parks are mostly overcrowded by cars...not people.

For a century, we have been sold on the message that automobiles are the ideal of freedom. We are choking on them.

I understand that most Venice tourists arrive by other means. We will see a future with more restrictions and higher costs to see the beautiful places.