VENICE, Italy (AP) Under the gaze of the worlds media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice launched a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro (around $5.35) entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.

Visitors arriving at Venices main train station were greeted with large signs listing the 29 dates through July of the plans test phase, as well as new entrances separating tourists from residents, students and workers.

Stewards were on hand to politely guide anyone unaware of the new requirements through the process of downloading the QR code to pay the fee.

We need to find a new balance between the tourists and residents, said the citys top tourism official, Simone Venturini. We need to safeguard the spaces of the residents, of course, and we need to discourage the arrival of day-trippers on some particular days.

Arianna Cecilia, who lives in Rome and was visiting Venice for the first time with her boyfriend, said it felt strange to have to buy a ticket to enter a city in her native Italy, and then pass through a tourist entrance.

The couple were staying in nearby Treviso, and had paid the fee and downloaded the QR code as required prior to arrival.