Tourism in Venice - statistics & facts
Nearly 40 European cities present themselves as the “Venice of the North”. This gives some idea on how renowned the City of Canals is. A listed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, the city ranked ahead of Milan and Berlin among the leading European destinations for inbound tourism in 2023. While this confirms Venice’s reputation as a tourist hotspot, it also highlights its long struggle with overtourism.
In an attempt to reduce the volume of visits, the destination banned large cruise ships in the Venetian Lagoon, causing the number of cruise passenger movements in Venice to decline sharply in 2023 compared to 2019. The introduction in 2024 of an entry fee for day trippers and a rule that restricts large group visits are the latest efforts of a city that is trying to preserve its unique landscape, while not giving up on tourism. After all, despite the rich offer of “Venices of the North” across Europe, it is in everyone’s interest to preserve such a unique place, not to miss the opportunity in the future to see the City of Canals, the real one.
How many tourists visit Venice every year?
In 2023, the total number of tourist arrivals in Venice, including both domestic and international travelers, recovered from the impact of COVID-19, peaking at around 5.7 million. That year, international visitors accounted for over 70 percent of all arrivals, with the United States representing by far the leading inbound travel market in Venice. Overall, the city recorded just under one million arrivals from the U.S. alone in 2023: this was more than the combined figure for France and the United Kingdom, which followed in the ranking. Meanwhile, breaking down the number of domestic tourist arrivals in Venice by region shows that most Italian residents visiting La Serenissima come from Lombardy and Lazio, with over 160,000 and 100,000 arrivals in 2023, respectively.Venice’s challenges with tourism
International popularity comes at a cost. In 2024, Venice topped the list of Italian cities with the highest prices for four-star hotels. Similarly, when looking at the average cost per night of Airbnb listings in Italian destinations that year, Venice was more expensive than Florence, Milan, and Rome. Aside from the challenges related to pricier services, the damages caused by overtourism to Venice’s fragile ecosystem are undoubtedly one of the biggest problems for the city, which was closed to be included in another UNESCO list: that of endangered sites.In an attempt to reduce the volume of visits, the destination banned large cruise ships in the Venetian Lagoon, causing the number of cruise passenger movements in Venice to decline sharply in 2023 compared to 2019. The introduction in 2024 of an entry fee for day trippers and a rule that restricts large group visits are the latest efforts of a city that is trying to preserve its unique landscape, while not giving up on tourism. After all, despite the rich offer of “Venices of the North” across Europe, it is in everyone’s interest to preserve such a unique place, not to miss the opportunity in the future to see the City of Canals, the real one.
