Venice's plan to charge tourists descended into chaos, showing how much of a headache overtourism has become
Last week, Venice introduced a 5 euro, or $5.40, fee for day-trippers to mitigate overtourism.
The fee is part of a trial that's running until July 14 and will apply on 29 "peak" days.
The move sparked protests, highlighting the problems city officials face when tackling overtourism.
Venice is one of many cities grappling with the effects of overtourism as its number of visitors has bounced back from pandemic-era lows.
When cities become overrun with tourists, officials are often tasked with finding ways to make them more livable for residents.
Officials in the Italian city took action last week by implementing a trial fee of 5 euros — about $5.40 — for day-trippers on certain days. But the residents it aims to help aren't all happy about it.
While the hoards of tourists that descend on Venice's narrow streets can be a headache for people who live there year-round, many locals don't believe that charging people is the answer.
About 500 people protested the fee after it came into effect on Thursday. Some of them clashed with riot police; others held up signs and banners saying, "No to ticket, yes to houses and services for all," The Guardian reported.
Opponents claim that the fee, which kicks in on 29 "peak" days from April 25 to July 14, is against the principle of freedom of movement and is too low to deter tourists.
The fee's introduction immediately caused frustration — and not just among locals.
The Guardian reported that some visitors were confused about how to prove they'd registered. Though overnight visitors were not required to pay the day fee, some didn't realize they still had to register their exemption.
The office of Simone Venturini, the city's tourism councilor, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Venturini previously said the plan wasn't designed for the purpose of raising cash, and that the money raised would only cover operating costs.
Tourists visiting Venice on peak days need to buy a ticket online or at booths to enter the city. Those who fail to register risk being stopped by a ticket inspector and charged between 50 and 300 euros. On Thursday, the city's municipal council said that 113,000 people registered, of which 15,700 were paying guests.
Locals don't need to pay the fee to enter the ticketed area, but they do still need to book online, which has become a point of contention.
One opponent to the measure said on Thursday that Venice was "becoming a museum, a theme park," Reuters reported. Photos show some protesters holding up signs saying, "Welcome to Veniceland."
Other examples of overtourism crackdowns include Amsterdam's city council voting to ban cruise ships from docking in the city center. The move aims to reduce big crowds and limit environmental damage from the ships.
Amsterdam also launched a campaign to reduce the number of "messy" young, male British tourists traveling to the city to party and take illicit drugs.
In other cases, officials in Fujikawaguchiko, Japan, opted to erect an 8-foot-tall mesh fence to discourage tourists from flocking to take photographs of Mount Fuji. The officials said it was a last resort after tourists crowded the area, left trash, and ignored traffic laws.
Elsewhere, a town in Austria that inspired the film "Frozen" also installed a fence to deter tourists from taking selfies. The temporary wooden fence was one of several tourist-curbing measures trialed in the 800-person town of Hallstatt, where the number of visitors can reach up to 10,000 a day, the BBC reported.
Other tourist hot spots have implemented caps on the number of daily visitors. In September, Greek officials introduced a 20,000-person daily cap on visitors to the Acropolis in Athens. Several US national parks also have daily caps.
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