UK tourists travelling to Italian city warned they face extra charge

Holidaymakers heading to Venice have been warned that they could face an extra charge as the city plans to extend its day-tripper tax following a pilot scheme. The number of days on which tourists will have to pay to enter the city will be increased, while last-minute visitors will have to pay double - 10 euros - city officials have said.

The five euro tax aims to help the city and its citizens to battle over-tourism by encouraging visitors to avoid the city during crowded holidays and weekends, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has said. The new system will start on April 18 2025 and run until July 27, and the fee will apply to Fridays as well as weekends and holidays, for a total of 54 days

Tourists who do not make reservations in advance will pay 10 euros instead of the usual five. It is in force during peak hours, from 8.30am to 4pm.

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There are exemptions to the tax, including residents, Venetian-born visitors, students and workers, as well as tourists who have hotel or other lodging reservations. The day-tripper tax was launched this year and at the end of the first test phase last July, Venice officials said that the tax had netted 2.4 million euros (£2 million), accounting for about 1,000 entrances on each of the test days.

Italians accounted for 60per cent of visitors to the ticket website in the period, followed by US, German and French citizens. Mr Brugnaro on Thursday again responded to critics who have called it a failure and said it has not deterred as many arrivals as envisioned. “Venice is the first city in the world that tries to manage the problem of over-tourism, we obtained important results,” the mayor said.

The world-famous lagoon city has long grappled with overwhelming influxes of tourists, with estimates based on cell phone data of 25 million to 30 million annual arrivals of both day-trippers and overnight guests since 2020. The day-tripper tax, delayed by the pandemic, was heralded by Unesco member states when they decided against a recommendation to place the city on a list of world heritage sites in danger.

The city also escaped inclusion on the list two years earlier when it imposed a cruise ship ban down the Giudecca canal and through St Mark’s Basin.

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