Venice to test charging admission fee to tourists on day trips

Venice says it will test a plan next year to charge tourists on day trips to the Italian city an admission fee.

The city council of Venice announced the plan on Tuesday to apply the fee to people who visit historic parts of the City of Water. The move aims to control the number of visitors.

Venice says it will charge 5 euros, or about 5-and-a-half dollars for about 30 days, with a focus on the spring and summer seasons, when the numbers of tourists usually peaks.

The city says it has yet to determine how it will collect the fee.

Venice is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The city is known for its medieval townscape and scenic canals.

But the arrival of far more tourists than the city's resident population has raised concerns about their negative impact on the environment.

UNESCO will hold discussions in September on whether to add Venice to its list of World Heritage in Danger. Experts say measures to prevent so-called over-tourism in Venice are insufficient.