A beautiful European city, among the top holiday destinations for British tourists, is fighting back against the tourism tax.
Venice is poised to impose a fee on day-trippers hoping to enter its historic center.
Starting April 25, tourists will be required to pay €5 (£4.25) to enjoy the allure of this iconic city during peak hours.
However, protesters claimed they want a different vision for the city which doesn’t put tourism front and centre.
Activists in Venice have staged a protest against the new day-tripper entry fee.
Earlier this week, a social housing group occupied a council building, displaying banners with slogans criticising the tourist charge.
The organisation also announced plans for a demonstration on the day the ticket will be launched, reports Euronews.
Activists from Venice’s Social Assembly for Housing and the Solidarity Network for Housing have criticised council spending on the day-tripper fee.
The protesters carried posters reading “Home, rights, dignity” and “Venice is not a museum” during their demonstration.
They also entered council offices and requested to speak with the mayor and the administration.
They shouted: “We don’t need a ticket, but we need a political will to address the problem of housing in Venice,” according to local press.
The demonstrators are some of the many Venetians who consider the housing plan drawn up by the municipality to be insufficient.
They asked during the protest: “We are students, we are workers. We have jobs that don’t allow us to pay rent. Is this the idea for the city?”
Venice council has earmarked around £23.7million (€27.7million) to repair and redevelop around 500 apartments in the historic centre, islands and mainland.
According to the reports, there are around 2,000 properties currently lying empty.
The council has said proceeds from the entry fees will go towards services that help the residents of the city including maintenance, cleaning and reducing living costs.
