One of Italy's most popular cities introduces new rules and fines for tourists.

The municipal authorities of Venice have announced an increase in the entrance fee to the city for tourists. These measures include an increase in the excursion tax next year and an increase in the number of days for which this tax will be charged.

The cost for tourists arriving for one day without prior registration will be 10 euros. The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, explained that the main goal of this measure is to help local residents cope with overcrowding and excessive tourism, especially during holidays and weekends. However, the opposition criticizes these measures, arguing that such taxes make Venice accessible only to wealthy guests.

The program to limit the number of tourists has been in pilot mode since the beginning of the year. Currently, tourists staying overnight in the historic center are exempt from payment, as they already pay a tax. However, from April to July, the new fee will be charged every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on holidays, totaling 54 days. Tourists booking day trips five days before arrival will be required to pay 10 euros. The tax will also be in effect during peak hours from 8:30 to 16:00.

For tourists without the necessary documents, fines ranging from 50 to 300 euros are provided. The authorities emphasize that the goal of the program is to reduce the flow of tourists on overloaded days, encourage longer trips, and improve the quality of life of local residents. According to experts, Venice has long suffered from tourist overcrowding.

As a result of the first stage of the pilot project, which ended in July, Venice received approximately 2.4 million euros from the collection, with approximately 1,000 new tourists registering daily. However, the opposition doubts the effectiveness of this measure: according to their data, the flow of tourists during the tax introduction period increased by 7,000 people compared to previous years. Opposition representative Giovanni Andrea Martini stated that this approach will not solve the problem of mass tourism.

The Italian government is considering increasing the tourist tax

Earlier it was reported that the Italian government is considering increasing the tourist tax in the summer period due to a significant increase in tourists. The government proposes to charge up to 25 euros per night from hotel rooms to help cities suffering from crowds of tourists.