Venice is considering a sharp increase in its tourist entry charge, with the city’s new mayor, Simone Venturini, proposing a 50-euro daily fee on selected days to help curb overtourism. The proposal now goes to the Italian government, which must decide whether to approve it.
The push for a higher fee comes after current rates have done little to deter visitors. Tourists who book in advance pay 5 euros, while last-minute visitors pay 10 euros. In the first 42 days of the system, 514,710 payments were made, including 245,503 at 5 euros and 268,207 at 10 euros. Michele Zuin, a member of Venice’s budget council, said, “The problem is the amounts. There is no big difference between 5 and 10 euros. If it were a more significant sum, the effect would be different.”
Hospitality groups have backed the idea. Daniel Minotto, head of the Venice hoteliers association AVA, called Venturini’s proposal welcome and said a much higher, tiered fee could act as an incentive or deterrent on the city’s worst days. He also said 50 euros is not excessive compared with entrance fees to some archaeological sites worldwide.
Zuin said higher revenue from the daily tourist tax could help local residents and businesses offset the costs they bear because of tourism. He added that this is the third and final trial year, and after the summer the city must decide whether to make the measure permanent, possibly expanding it to the full year or to additional dates such as Carnival, when Venice is especially crowded. This year the fee applies on 60 days in April, May, June and July, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with exemptions for residents, people born in Venice, students, workers, and visitors with hotel or other lodging bookings. Visitors can register their trip through a dedicated platform, and those who fail to pay or secure an exemption face fines of 50 to 300 euros.
