Rome | Venice, long plagued by what some observers have described as over-tourism, has introduced a fee for day trippers, a world first that is likely to become a closely watched experiment as cities grapple with how to balance the wants and needs of tourists and residents.

Visitors who do not live, work or study in Venice will have to start paying a €5 ($8.20) fee from Thursday (Friday AEST), for a total of 29 select days, mostly weekends, until mid-July. Those who stay in hotels or registered accommodation overnight would not have to pay, Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.

Bloomberg Citylab