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The southern Spanish city will now charge visitors to enter the historic area that has been at risk of irreversible damage to its famed tile floors, bridges and towers.

\"PHOTO:
Ksenia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images
PHOTO: A tourist sightseeing boat navigating a canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Aug. 18, 2023.
>

Venice

Earlier this year, the coastal city known for it's canals and bridges, blown glass and close proximity to the heart of Italy's Prosecco region, implemented a fee of 5 euro per day tripper through a new reservation system.

With about 40,000 visitors on average per day, which is nearly double the city's population, local authorities hope this move will help protect the UNESCO World Heritage Site from getting ruined by too many tourists.

Starting Thursday, travelers can download an app to pay and attain a QR code which will be checked by inspectors to enter the city as a visitor. If someone traveling for the day in Venice is caught without the code, they may face a fine of up to 300 euros.

\"PHOTO:
Kelly McCarthy
PHOTO: Tourists in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.
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\"It is not a revolution, but the first step of a path that regulates the access of daily visitors. An experiment that aims to improve the liveability of the city, who lives there and who works there. We will carry it forward with great humility and with the awareness that there may be problems,\" the Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro stated on X in the announcement.

\"The margins of error are wide, but we are ready, with humility and courage, to make all the changes that will serve to improve the procedure. Venice is the first city in the world to implement this path, which can be an example for other fragile and delicate cities that must be safeguarded,\" he continued.

Simone Venturini, Venice City Councilor for Tourism, told ABC News that the smart control center is within the most important part of the city -- Piazza San Marco, St. Mark's Square.

\"Authorities will use the new QR codes, plus cell phone data and the roughly 700 cameras around Venice to track and potentially regulate visitors,\" Venturini explained. \"We are switching to action after 60 years of only debate... our ultimate goal is to find a new balance between the needs of the residents and the needs of tourists.\"

Venturini told ABC News they had \"a lot of discussion\" with leaders in other cities who have worked to combat overtourism, including Amsterdam, Barcelona and Kyoto. \"We are talking together just to find the solution.\"

An earlier version of this story was originally published on April 18, 2024.

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