Venice tourist tax trial to go ahead

The Italian city of Venice has decided to implement a tourist tax for those who come to the city without staying there.

A trial of the tax has been greenlit by the Venetian city council. The trial will take place over 30 non-consecutive days next year, including on the busiest long weekends of spring and regular weekends in the summer. Exact dates will be announced over the next few weeks, according to the city’s website.

It will cost all tourists aged 14 and above €5 to spend a day in the city.

However, those staying in the city for at least one night will be exempt from this tax. They will still pay a separate tourist tax – implemented in 2011 – which equates to between €1–€5 per person per night for the first five nights of a stay, depending on the season.

The trial comes after Venice was almost added to a list of UNESCO World Heritage sites that are at risk of ‘irreversible damage’ from overtourism.

Although the tourist tax trial is going ahead, critics are claiming that the price of €5 is too low, tourists will still come – particularly as there remains no cap on the number of daily visitors to the city – and overtourism will continue.