About us

Introducing //venice>connected

//venice>connected, the official portal for tourism of the City of Venice, the contents of which are now available in five languages, is an innovative integrated platform that allows visitors to buy the main tourist services offered by the city on-line at reduced rates, such as access to the city museums, public transport, transfer from the airport and the cruise terminal, parking, wi-fi Internet access, public toilets, ZTL restricted area passes for tourist buses, weddings in Venice and other services.
The rates policies have been defined so as to encourage advance bookings and reduce the negative effects of seasonal peaks in the presence of tourists. By making their purchases in advance, at least 7 days before arriving in Venice, not only do they save money but they avoid queues and help improve the quality of life, sustainability and urban enjoyment of Venice.

Who we are

The address, control and coordination functions necessary for the development of the //venice>connected project are assigned to the Office for Tourism of the City of Venice, which makes use of an internal organisational structure created for the purpose; the technical management of the platform is entrusted to Venis S.p.a., in-house company of the Venice municipal administration, specialised in the supply of Information and Communication Technology services. Research and studies for the //venice>connected project are carried out by COSES, consortium for research and training.

Mission

According to the EU guide line, the //venice>connected project aims at promoting a Sustainable Tourism, investing in quality of life  – socially, economically, culturally and environmentally – to make Venice a desirable place to live, prosper and visit.

The City of Venice can thus safeguard the uniqueness of its architectural, artistic and cultural heritage, the tradition of its craftsmanship, the quality of its local wines and foods and the integrity of its natural resources, and promote sustainable itineraries in the less known parts of the historic city centre and on the islands of the lagoon, to the benefit of the local communities. As well as enjoying economic advantages, tourists will fully appreciate their stay in a less crowded city that is ready to welcome them and to satisfy their needs. Venetians can live in the old city without problems of congestion on the main routes and benefit from a more even distribution of tourists throughout the year. The City of Venice and its partners will be able to optimise the services offered to tourists and residents, based on the expected presences in the city.
 

Projects and Awards

In October 2009 the City of Venice signed a memorandum of understanding with TripAdvisor, the largest community of travellers in the world: by collecting the TripAdvisor tourist reviews, the //venice>connected portal thus becomes a useful tool for improving the quality of the services offered in the city.

On 25 October 2009 the City of Venice received the Innovation Award from TripAdvisor, an award that recognises Venice as the first Italian city to suit the scale of tourists on the web, thanks to the projects //venice>connected and Cittadinanza Digitale of the City of Venice.

In May 2010 the //venice>connected project was sent to the Shanghai Expo, an event focused on the theme “Better city, better life”, as a model of sustainable tourism. The City of Venice took part in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) of the Expo, where it showed examples of excellent practices of urban, territorial and environmental transformation and requalification, many of which are already implemented or in progress.

Since February 2010 the City of Venice has been coordinator of the European project I-Speed: Information Society Policies for sustainable European Economic Development which, by comparing experiences on the use of new technologies, aims to improve the policies of sustainable promotion of economic activities linked to tourism. The three-year project, supported by a budget of 1.4 million euros, springs from the experience of the projects //venice>connected and Cittadinanza Digitale.

At FITUR, the International Tourism Fair held in Madrid in January 2011, //venice>connected was the only Italian project sent to take part in the international workshop promoted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The City of Venice project was judged an innovative venture for tourism at world level.

The //venice>connected project is also willing to act as a partner for the major European and International Tourism Promotion institutions, in order to create a synergy between Venice and other cities through the integration of the respective on-line booking platforms and the promotion of a combined services offer.