Venice’s entry fee, which was first introduced in 2024, may see a significant rise in cost in the near future.
The city’s newly elected mayor, Simone Venturini, has announced a proposal to hike the day tripper tax to €50 on select days to curb overtourism.
It comes as data shows that the current rates – €5 for advance booking and €10 for last-minute – are doing little to disincentivise visitors.
Venice proposes hiking entry fee to €50
Venturini has said he will ask the Italian government for permission to raise the Venice entry fee to €50 on certain days.
Figures from this year show that less than half of the tourists who paid for admission to the city booked in advance to take advantage of the discounted €5 rate.
Of a total of 514,710 contributions paid in the first 42 days of application, 245,503 paid €5 and 268,207 paid €10, according to Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino.
“The problem is the numbers,” Venice’s budget councillor Michele Zuin told Italian press. “There’s not much difference between €5 and €10. If it were more significant, the effect would be different.”
The move to increase the fee has been supported by groups in the hospitality industry.
“Venturini’s proposal is welcome. This could lead to a way to apply the fee as an incentive/disincentive for the most problematic days,” said Daniele Minotto, director of Venice’s Association of Hoteliers (AVA).
“With a sliding rate and a much higher cap, applied every day, we could impact traffic.”
He added that €50 is not excessive when compared to tickets for some archaeological sites around the world.
Councillor Zuin also highlighted that increased revenue from the day tripper tax could benefit Venice’s residents.
“If this money increases, we will invest it to offset the costs that citizens and businesses incur for tourism,” he said.
Will Venice’s day tripper tax be extended year-round?
Zuin also confirmed that, “This will be the third and final year of testing. After the summer, we’ll have to make decisions to give the measure a more definitive shape.”
He said this would include evaluating whether to extend the fee to the entire year, or perhaps include more dates such as during Venice Carnival, when the city is also extremely busy.
This year, the tax is in place over 60 days in April, May, June, and July and enforced during peak hours from 8.30 am until 4 pm.
A host of exemptions apply. Those who don’t have to pay the tax include residents, Venetian-born visitors, students and workers, as well as tourists who have hotel or other lodging reservations.
Visitors can ‘reserve’ their day in Venice on a dedicated platform.
The levy is €5, while tourists who don’t make reservations up to four days in advance have to pay €10.
There are official staff checking QR codes at key points in the city, such as outside the Santa Lucia railway station. Visitors who have not paid the fee or registered as an exemption risk a €50 to €300 fine.