Sri Lanka, April 26 -- After many years of preparation, Venice has finally debuted its controversial five-euro entry toll for tourists without a hotel reservation this Thursday (25).

This unprecedented measure - being the first city in the world to impose such a fee - has a clear objective: to confront mass tourism that has threatened the fragile balance of the city of canals for too many years, relentlessly driving out its residents.

The figures are quite graphic because, even though there are only about 50,000 residents living in the islands of Venice - not counting those living on the mainland - on days of high pressure, there can be up to 40,000 visitors in Venice at once.

Just last year, 20 million tourists came to walk through it...