The media group said the city's mayor Luigi Brugnaro has claimed that this new charge has been brought in to deter overcrowding and make Venice "livable" again.

However, locals in Venice accused the authorities of making the city a "theme park" with this change. Venice has long been dealing with an increase of tourists and day-trippers, with visitors reaching an all-time high in 2023.

Matteo Secchi, leader of residents' activist group Venessia, told the publication: "I can tell you that almost the entire city is against it. You can’t impose an entrance fee to a city; all they’re doing is transforming it into a theme park. This is a bad image for Venice … I mean, are we joking?"

The daily fee of £4.29 or €5 in local currency needs to be paid if you visit the city between the hours of 8:30am until 4pm - visiting before or after this time will exclude you from the payment.

There are certain days in 2024 so far that this daily charge will be imposed and certain groups that will be continuously exempt from it - no matter the time of day or date.

The website has also detailed which groups of people are exempt from this daily charge. These include: guests at an accommodation located in the municipality of Venice; workers in Venice; relatives of those who live in Venice; residents of Veneto or in the Metropolitan City of Venice; owners of properties that pay IMU or those who are the holders of a rental contract; students registered in the temporary population register; and participants in a sporting event.

This news comes after another popular Italian hotspot began discussions to also bring in a daily fee for tourists. Lake Como is the latest European hotspot to be battling over-tourism, and officials are calling for the introduction of a special tax to help curb this.

Como’s mayor Alessandro Rapinese said he is considering charging visitors for each day they visit the area, inspired by a similar move undertaken in Venice.