Culture Minister Dario Franceschini
on Tuesday said No to entry tickets and turnstiles in Venice,
two mooted ways of curbing tourist overcrowding in the lagoon
city.
"We must fight the excessive overcrowding of art cities, but
without any entry levy," he said at the presentation of the new
rooms at Venice's iconic Accademia Galleries.
"We must exploit less invasive technologies to control the
flows, which are there, but if I think of turnstiles an airport
comes to mind, not a city.
"For the rest, everything is in the hands of the mayors, and we
are here to give a hand".
Venice officials have proposed levying a daily fee to visit the
city, as well as putting up turnstiles to regulate tourist
flows, amid chronic overcrowding which has been only slightly
mitigated by the COVID emergency.
Replying to journalists' questions, Franceschini added: "Venice
not only has a vocation to host tourists, but must also think of
the valorisation of its historical and cultural heritage, which
is unique in the world, investing in the present and the future.
"For the rest, we can't think that Europe can solve all the
problems".
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