Venice is reportedly planning to double its controversial tourist tax as mass tourism and overcrowing remain significant problems.
The €5 (£4.20) levy was introduced in 2024 to crack down on day trippers, but has now been upped to €10 (£8.30) for holidaymakers who book less than four days in advance.
The fee is in place between April 18 and May 4, and then on every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of July. Tourists in the city for one day between 8:30am and 4pm must cough up the money, but those staying overnight are exempt.
Simone Venturini, the city’s tourism councillor, said the trial last year had worked as he announced the new, doubled tax.
He said: “The aim remains the same: create a new system to manage tourist flow and disincentivise day tripper tourism in several periods, in line with the delicate and unique nature of the city, to guarantee the respect that it merits.”
Authorities also claimed that trips in 2024 were booked “well in advance”, resulting in a “slight reduction” in day trippers, citing a recently commissioned study.
Visitors must pay the levy through the Venice Access Fee website and download a QR to let them through turnstiles at Venice’s main entry points, where there will be regular checks.
Fines will be handed out to those who do not pay, ranging from €50 (£41) to €300 (£250).
The tax was met with furious backlash when it was first introduced, as people said the city was turning “into a theme park”. Local activist Matteo Secchi claimed at the time: “I can tell you that almost the entire city is against it.
“You can’t impose an entrance fee to a city; all they’re doing is transforming it into a theme park. This is a bad image for Venice … I mean, are we joking?”
Critics also claimed that it “had absolutely no impact”. Venice councillor Giovanni Andrea Martini told The Guardian: “It has had absolutely no impact.
“In fact, we have data showing that, on certain days when the fee was in place, visitor numbers were 5,000 higher than on the same days in 2023. We knew it wouldn’t work – they were just desperate to appease Unesco.”
