Venice Proposes Raising Tourist Entry Fee to Up to €30 and Extending Year-Round Collection

【Venice Proposes Raising Tourist Entry Fee to Up to €30 and Extending Year-Round Collection】

(1) The Venice city government is considering raising the tourist entry fee from the current €5-€10 to a maximum of €30, and plans to extend the fee collection period to year-round. City councilor for budget and taxation, Zuin, said the current fee is "affordable for almost everyone" and has lost its deterrent effect against overtourism; internally, figures as high as €50 were discussed, but the final amount may be set at €30.

(2) The fee, introduced in 2024 as a world first, applies only to day-trippers who do not stay overnight; those who book in advance can access a lower rate, and children under 14 are exempt. In 2024, it was trialed for 29 days at a maximum of €5, with approximately 485,000 tickets sold and revenue of about €2.4 million; in 2025, the fee was charged over 54 days, generating about €5.4 million; in 2026, it ran from April 3 to July 26, selling nearly 680,000 tickets and bringing in over €5.2 million.

(3) Revenue is used for city cleaning and maintenance. Mayor Venturini said the city's annual physical maintenance costs reach €100 million, with no funding from Europe, the Italian government, or international critics, leaving Venice residents and partial tourist taxes to cover the burden; tourists generate large amounts of waste, and disposal costs are high.

(4) The proposal has sparked controversy. Critics argue €50 is too high; former mayor Cacciari called the entry fee "barbaric" and "uncivilized," noting no other city requires tickets for entry like a museum. Activists, housing advocates, and opposition figures criticize the measure for failing to effectively ease congestion and for paying insufficient attention to resident depopulation.

(5) Venice has long faced overtourism and population decline: the historic center's resident population has dropped to about 47,600, tourist beds exceed 51,500, and the city receives roughly 30 million visits annually. The new fee structure still requires discussion with the central government, and the final plan remains subject to change.