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☆ There’s more than one way to access this asset offering tax-free income. How to make the right choice
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Muni bonds are beloved by wealthy investors because they offer income that's free of federal taxes. Muni bond ETFs and mutual funds, meanwhile, don't have a definite maturity date and their price can fluctuate while the investor is holding them. Liquidity needs are also a major factor, with individual bonds potentially being hard to sell if an investor has a cash need. Since these funds offer a fixed number of shares, they trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value. Some of these funds hold municipal bonds and are trading at sharp discounts to their net asset value, potentially making them an attractive purchase.

Persons: Kathleen McNamara, there's, muni, he'll, Beth Foos, James Ritzema, Baird, Jon Browne Organizations: Federal Reserve, UBS, tradeoffs Investors, SEC, Investors, Morningstar, RiverNorth Locations: Americas, –

☆ Creating an income-producing portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A lot goes into creating and managing an income-producing portfolio that works for you. Knowing your expenses will give you a good sense of the income you’ll need. Ways to generate incomeTake the income you think you’ll need and subtract from that the income you expect. For example, if you need $65,000 a year but will only bring in $40,000, you’ll need to generate the other $25,000. • For money you’ll need in three to five years, use short-term corporate bonds as well as longer-term CDs.

Persons: it’s, Will, David Seufer, you’ll, Marguerita Cheng, ”, David Edmisten, Edmisten, Cheng, ” Seufer, “, ” Edmisten, Seufer, they’re, ” Cheng Organizations: New, New York CNN, Gravitas, Social Security, Blue, ” Capital, Social Locations: New York

☆ Election officials in battleground Michigan grapple with sweeping voting changes and a presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The state’s highly decentralized system of administering voting means that “Michigan has 1,500 elections every big election day,” said Kyle Whitney, the city clerk of Marquette in the state’s Upper Peninsula. ‘We’re all beginners’The new rules in Michigan flow from a constitutional amendment that state voters approved by a wide margin in 2022 that dramatically expanded access to voting. Miller was elected to succeed the previous, term-limited clerk and is overseeing her first presidential election. Deborah Pellow, the part-time clerk of rural Tilden Township in the Upper Peninsula, is also overseeing her first presidential election this year. The next big test for Michigan comes in August, when voters cast primary ballots for congressional, state and local offices.

Persons: Michael Siegrist, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, tabulators, Biden, ”, Kyle Whitney, ” Whitney, Brennan, ‘, “, ” Lori Miller, Miller, “ It’s, Deborah Pellow, Pellow, Adam Wit, –, Shira Roza, Carlos Osorio, Angela Benander, Joycelyn Benson, Jacqueline Beaudry, ” Benander, ‘ We’re Organizations: CNN, Ferrari, Republican, Trump, Brennan Center for Justice, Wolverine State, Biden’s, Michigan’s, Democratic, Michigan Association of Municipal, Michigan Locations: Michigan, Canton Township, Antrim County, Marquette, Wolverine, Livonia, Detroit, Wayne County, Tilden Township, Canton, Harrison, Warren , Michigan, Ann Arbor City, Tilden

☆ Chiapas, Mexico: Six people killed during campaign event
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Gerardo Lemos | Fidel Gutierrez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Six people were killed and two injured by gunfire at a political campaign event in Chiapas, Mexico on Thursday, according to a statement from the state Attorney General’s Office. A preliminary investigation found that the deaths occurred after a confrontation between armed civilians during an electoral campaign event that was attended by a candidate for the municipal presidency of La Concordia for the Chiapas Popular Party, Lucero López Maza. However political violence has spiked across the country as Mexico heads toward its largest election in history on June 2. The Attorney General’s Office said three of the victims, one of whom was a minor, were women, and three men. Earlier this week, eleven people were killed in mass shootings in the neighboring municipality of Chicomuselo, the state prosecutor said.

Persons: Lucero López Maza, López Maza, General’s Organizations: CNN, General’s, La Concordia, Chiapas Popular Party, Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Locations: Chiapas, Mexico, Guatemala, Chicomuselo, Sinaloa, Jalisco

☆ Free Speech Becomes a New Battleground in Abortion Litigation - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Linda Greenhouse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There has hardly ever been as fierce a defender of free speech as the current Supreme Court. The court’s version of free speech has become a powerful tool against government regulation. In his majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the “unduly burdensome” requirement amounted to unconstitutionally compelled speech. Now the question is whether the court’s solicitude toward those who would rather not talk about abortion extends in the other direction. What about state laws that prohibit rather than require offering information about where to get an abortion?

Persons: John Roberts, Janus, Elena Kagan, “, Clarence Thomas Organizations: . American Federation of State, Municipal Employees, ” Locations: . American Federation of State , County, California

☆ Housing market: China unveils sweeping measures to rescue its crisis-hit property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has unveiled wide-ranging measures to rescue its property sector, including asking local governments across the country to buy unsold homes from beleagured developers and easing rules on purchases. In a coordinated move, the People’s China of China (PBOC) announced that it will set up a nationwide program to provide 300 billion yuan ($41.5 billion) in loans to fund state purchases of unsold homes. The 300 billion yuan provided by the central bank could eventually underpin 500 billion yuan ($69 billion) worth of credit to support such purchases, she estimated. Expectations that Beijing was preparing a plan to have local governments across the country buy millions of unsold homes have successfully buoyed China stocks. On Friday, He also urged local governments to buy back or directly purchase land that has been sold to developers but not yet used.

Persons: Lifeng, Tao Ling, Larry Hu, ”, Société Générale Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist, China Real Estate Business, Macquarie Group, Reuters, provident Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing

☆ This is the sweet spot in bonds right now, according to Wells Fargo — and it can yield up to 5%
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As investors navigate the Federal Reserve's higher-for-longer interest rate policy — and eventual rate cuts down the road — they should make sure they have their fixed-income portfolio positioned properly, according to Wells Fargo. The Fed last raised rates in July 2023, bringing the fed funds rate to a range of 5.25% to 5.5%. But investors were buoyed by news Wednesday that the consumer price index showed inflation eased slightly in April. Right now, Wells Fargo anticipates two rate cuts this year and just one in 2025, bringing the Fed's target rate to a range of 4.5% to 4.75% by the end of next year, said Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. Investors can get exposure to intermediate-term bonds through mutual funds or exchange-traded funds.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Wells, Scott Wren, Wren Organizations: Federal, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ At Last, Detroit Sees Population Grow, New Estimates Show
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Julie Bosman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After decades of painful decline, Detroit’s population grew in 2023, according to new estimates released on Thursday by the Census Bureau. The increase — to 633,218 from 631,366 residents — was slight, lifting Detroit to slightly below levels of 2021. City leaders have long promised to reverse Detroit’s long decline in residents brought on by the shrinking of the auto industry, flight to the suburbs and municipal bankruptcy. The new census estimates showed similar, moderate population rebounds for many big cities in the Midwest and Northeast after previous pandemic-era declines. In the Midwest, cities of that size grew 0.1 percent in 2023 after declining an average of 0.2 percent the year before.

Persons: — Organizations: Census, Detroit Locations: Midwest

Social Security trust fund reserves are projected to be depleted by 2035. The 2023 Social Security and Medicare Trustees annual report projects that the program's trust fund reserves will be depleted by 2035. "It's not that Social Security will disappear completely, but rather, the surplus bucket we rely on is at risk." The average Social Security check for a retired worker is only $1,907 per month, according to the Social Security Administration. Without sufficient action, reduced Social Security benefits might not be able to keep pace with rising costs.

Persons: Emily Millsap, you've, Roth, HSAs Organizations: Social Security, Avantax Wealth Management, Social, Social Security Administration, Workers

☆ Ethnic ‘Balancer’ for Government Jobs Becomes Focus of Ethnic Division
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After drawing up a plan for 20 hires this year by the city administration, the head of the municipal personnel department plugged it into the Balancer — a website run by the government of the Balkan nation of North Macedonia. Seconds later, he received a chart giving the mandatory ethnic breakdown of the people to fill the jobs: 16 ethnic Albanians, three ethnic Macedonians and one Roma. The computer-generated quotas, which match the size of different communities in the heavily ethnic Albanian city of Tetovo, in the country’s northwest, are part of one of the world’s most comprehensive and rigidly mathematical government programs aimed at enforcing ethnic diversity through affirmative action. Critics say it puts ethnicity above merit, while supporters credit it with helping to pull the country back from ethnic civil war. Both sides agree the program has become riddled with fraud, especially as ethnic-based political parties try to game the system, and that it and other efforts to promote diversity have contributed to the proliferation of unnecessary state sector jobs.

Locations: Balkan, North Macedonia, Albanian, Tetovo

☆ Mumbai billboard collapses during rainstorm leaving four dead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

At least four people are dead, 61 injured and more than 40 feared trapped after a massive billboard fell during a rainstorm in India’s financial capital of Mumbai on Monday, local officials said. The rainstorm was accompanied by gusty winds, causing the billboard, located next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, to collapse on some houses and a petrol pump. A rescue operation for the people remaining trapped under the billboard is ongoing. Firefighters stand next to vehicles crushed by the billboard, which fell during a rainstorm in Mumbai, India, on May 13, 2024. Mumbai, like several Indian cities, is prone to severe flooding and rain-related accidents during the monsoon season, which usually lasts from June until September every year.

Persons: Stringer Organizations: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Firefighters, Reuters Locations: Mumbai, Ghatkopar, India

☆ China Is Raising Bullet Train Fares as Debts and Costs Balloon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

China is taking the rare step of sharply increasing fares for riders on four major bullet train lines, in its broadest move to address rising costs and heavy debts since construction of the system began nearly two decades ago. The higher prices for train tickets are part of a push to raise prices for public services. Public services in China are heavily subsidized by local governments. But huge municipal debts mean that these governments have less money on hand to keep prices down. And making consumers pay more helps offset the falling prices that are widespread in China’s economy as growth slows.

Locations: China

☆ Money market funds yielding more than 5% won’t last. Where to deploy idle cash instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Money market funds' siren song has become a little louder: With the timing of Federal Reserve rate cuts shaky, yields on cash are still hot – for now. Here's how to decide where and when to redeploy some of your idle cash into fixed income. Taxes are also a key consideration as you build out your fixed income sleeve. Interest income from Treasurys, meanwhile, is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local taxes. A gradual entry toward fixed income You don't have to build out your fixed income allocation in one day.

Persons: Rob Williams, Charles Schwab, Ashton Lawrence, Lawrence, Williams Organizations: Mariner Wealth Advisors, Mutual Locations: Greenville , South Carolina, Treasurys, New York , New Jersey, California

For Love & Money is a weekly Business Insider column answering relationship and money questions. This week, a recently widowed reader isn't sure what changes to make to their financial plan. Write to For Love & Money using this Google form. Since my wife's death, I have found myself single for the first time in 48 years, and I'm looking at a very large income tax liability in 2024 and after. Write to For Love & Money using this Google form .

Persons: —, I'm, I've, Justin Rush, Rush, you'd, you've, it's, doesn't Organizations: Service, Security, Rush

☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ These are the kinds of San Francisco roads Tesla's FSD had a hard time dealing with, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It's unclear if other aspects of Sunset's grid trip up Tesla's FSD more than other San Francisco neighborhoods. A Tesla makes an unprotected left turn on Lincoln Way, a major road in San Francisco's Sunset District. Another street that was once notoriously difficult for Tesla's FSD to work in was Lombard Street, a steep and windy road northwest of San Francisco. When asked about using the FSD feature in the Sunset, she told BI that she had "no problems" with it. AdvertisementA Tesla parked in San Francisco's Sunset District, where company employees rigorously tested the car's Full Self-Driving technology, according to a report.

Persons: Tesla, —, Elon Musk's, Musk's, Lloyd Lee, FSD, Francisco's, Tayfun, John Bernal, Musk, Walter Huang Organizations: The, Service, X, Railway, San, Sunset District, Lincoln, BI, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Tesla, Washington Post, P Global Mobility, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Los Angeles Times Locations: Sunset, San Francisco, city's, Judah, San Francisco Municipal, Lincoln, Francisco, San, San Francisco San Francisco, Lombard

☆ Income investors can find double-digit yields at a discount with this play
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Enter the closed-end fund, a relative of the traditional, open-end mutual fund. Gundlach highlighted closed-end funds on CNBC's " Closing Bell " Wednesday afternoon, noting that it's "a pretty good environment for moderate risk assets." "For retail investors, closed-end funds have gone back to trading at discounts broadly, and with some leverage involved there, there's double-digit yields available without taking a ton of credit risk," he said. Searching for discounts Drivers of these closed-end fund discounts, particularly those that hold bonds, include sharp spikes in yields. The Abrdn National Municipal Income Fund (VFL) , for instance, is trading at a 15% discount to its net asset value, according to Nuveen's CEF Connect, a database of closed-end funds.

Persons: Jeffrey Gundlach, Gundlach, Eaton Vance Organizations: Income Fund, Income Trust, Fidelity Locations: Eaton Vance California

☆ Making the power grid 'smart' could save us all money and prevent blackouts. Chattanooga made the $280 million investment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Chattanooga's utility built a $280 million smart grid, creating $2.7 billion in economic value. The local utility, called EPB of Chattanooga, spent $280 million to refurbish its power system with smart technologies to make a "smart grid." The traditional power grid carries electricity from a power plant to homes and commercial buildings. Smart grids can bring huge economic benefitsEven Congress knows the nation needs a smart grid. Though a smart grid requires a big up-front investment, it can save a lot of money down the line.

Persons: —, That's, Tiago Majuelos, Monika Skolimowska, Kevin Schneider, Schneider, Joshua Rhodes, David Wade, EPB, Wade, Taylor, David Swanson, We're Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Chattanooga Smart, US Department of Energy, Wall Street, Getty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, American Society of Civil Engineers, University of Texas, Department of Energy, C Electric Company, BI, Reuters, Nationwide Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, EPB, California, Austin, Hamilton County, Palm Springs , California, Columbia, Southern California

☆ Philippine dam: A 300-year-old settlement resurfaces as severe drought dries up a reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | Monica Garrett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A nearly 300-year-old settlement once submerged beneath a major dam in the Philippines has reemerged as sweltering heat and drought dry up the reservoir. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesSome visitors brave the extreme heat to see the dam, where parts of damaged structures still stand. But a drought currently affecting about half of the country’s provinces has pushed the dam’s water levels down, according to AFP. The town of Muñoz near the dam has seen heat index over 41 degrees (106 degrees Fahrenheit) the last five days. On Sunday the temperature felt like 47 degrees (117 degrees Fahrenheit) because of other contributing factors.

Persons: Marlon Paladin, Ezra Acayan, Paladin, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, ” Organizations: CNN, National Irrigation Administration, PAGASA, AFP, Prediction Locations: Philippines, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, Philippine, Southeast Asia, Muñoz, Luzon, El

☆ A new Walmart in-store AI is giving employees advice on how to sell products before it's too late
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Michelle Castillo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The internally developed AI technology allows Walmart employees to scan produce like bananas to see how ripe the product is. Many clothing items are not recyclable, due to being made of blended fabrics. U.S. residents also discard about 11.3 million tons of clothing waste each year, according to Earth.org. Walmart isn't alone in using AI to tackle in-store waste, as several startups are creating tools to solve this growing problem. "When it comes to food waste, there is no silver bullet," said ReFED's executive director Dana Gunders, which has worked with Walmart for a few years on food waste solutions.

Persons: it's, Swati Kirti, Kirti, It's, UCLA Anderson, Sravana Karnati, Dana Gunders, Homer Swei, Swei, Karnati Organizations: Walmart, Walmart International Tech, UCLA, Walmart International Technology, Walmart Global Tech, Retailers Locations: Canada, U.S, United States, Mexico

☆ Venice's plan to charge tourists descended into chaos, showing how much of a headache overtourism has become
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The move sparked protests, highlighting the problems city officials face when tackling overtourism. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . When cities are overrun with tourists, officials are often tasked with finding ways to make them more liveable for residents. On peak days, tourists visiting Venice for the day need to buy a ticket online or at booths to enter the city. Other tourist hot spots have implemented caps on the number of daily visitors.

Persons: —, aren't, Simone Venturini, Venturini, Luca Bruno, Manuel Silvestri, it's Organizations: Service, Guardian, Business, AP, Reuters, Mount Fuji, BBC, US National Parks Locations: Venice, Italian, Veniceland, Amsterdam, Japan, Fujikawaguchiko, Austria, Athens

☆ Detroit's 'doom loop' was unlike any other American city. Its downtown is now a model for urban reinvention.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the city's downtown has one of the most stunning urban reinvention stories in the United States. Downtown Detroit recently hosted the NFL Draft to rave reviews and even broke an attendance record. AdvertisementLast week, more than 775,000 football fans converged in downtown Detroit for three days as the city hosted the NFL Draft. NFL fans near the draft stage at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit on April 27, 2024. Downtown Detroit has an abundance of towering, historic buildings that are perfect for office-to-housing conversions and office renovations that have taken hold in downtowns across the country.

Persons: —, Ryan Kang, Spencer Platt, Gen Zs, it's, Dan Gilbert Organizations: Downtown, NFL, Service, Detroit, Nashville, Martius, Renaissance, Miami, General Motors, Getty, Rocket Mortgage, Quicken, GM, Renaissance Center Locations: Detroit, United States, Downtown Detroit, Hudson's Detroit, downtowns

☆ Venice becomes world's first city to charge an entry fee for day-trippers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Venice will begin on April 25, 2024 charging day trippers for entry, a world first aimed at easing pressure on the Italian city drowning under the weight of mass tourism. Venice became the first city in the world to charge a payment for tourists in a bid to alleviate the pressures of mass tourism and make the city more livable for its residents. The pilot program will exact a fee of 5 euros ($5.4) from day-trippers to Venice, one of Italy's most picturesque and historic cities. Municipal workers were seen checking the tickets of day-trippers outside the front of the fragile lagoon city's Santa Lucia railway station. The charge applies to tourists arriving between 8:30 a.m. local time and 4 p.m., while access is free outside of those hours.

Organizations: Reuters Locations: Venice, Italy, Santa Lucia

☆ Many large U.S. cities are in deep financial trouble. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Carlos Waters | In Carloswaters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Municipal governments across the United States are looking to rein in spending as pandemic-era stimulus dries up and inflation lingers for longer than expected. The group issued a AA investment grade general obligation bond rating for New York City in March 2024. The financial challenges within cities appear to be mounting despite high municipal credit ratings and robust demand for urban commodities like housing. "I think we can all agree that we're broke," said Houston Mayor John Whitmire in a March 2024 City Council budget hearing. Meanwhile, in the case of New York City, leaders remain optimistic about future returns.

Persons: Michael Rinaldi, Brad Lander, Sheila Weinberg, we're, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Weinberg, We've, Lander, Eric Adams, Rinaldi, Adams Organizations: Fitch, AA, New, Truth, University of Denver, New York, Apple, Houston Mayor, Accounting, CNBC, Lander Locations: United States, U.S, New York City, Chicago, Houston, Portland , Oregon, New York

☆ What to Know About Venice’s Fees for Day Trips
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After years of debate, Venice on Thursday will begin charging day visitors five euros to visit its fragile historic center on peak days, making it the first city in the world to adopt such a measure to counter overtourism. Critics question whether a nominal fee will put people off from visiting one of the world’s most desired destinations. But officials hope that it might encourage some to rethink their plans and decide to come on weekdays or in the off-season. About half of those visitors came only for the day, city officials said. The spirit of the initiative, city officials have said, is to make people aware of the uniqueness — and fragility — of Venice.

Persons: Nicola Camatti Organizations: Foscari University of Venice Locations: Venice

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