Venice has decided to extend its tourist tax and double the amount charged to foreigners visiting this popular destination in Italy.
Starting in 2025, some visitors to Venice will have to pay a €10 fee instead of the €5 they currently pay as the city continues its efforts to combat overtourism. The hike in tax prices will apply to last-minute visitors, Schengen.News reports.
The new changes were announced by Luigi Brugnaro, the Mayor of Venice, who confirmed that the revenues generated by this tax are allocated to battle over tourism and improving the life quality of Venetians.
New Tourist Tax to Become Effective in Spring 2025
According to Mayor Brugnaro, the new pilot system will be implemented from April 18, 2025, to July 27, 2025, and will be active on certain days.
In addition, making a reservation before arriving at the destination will be mandatory, and those who fail to do so will have to pay the €10 fee. The tax will apply if they are visiting between 8.30 and 16.00, which is usually the peak hour for tourists.
More specifically, visitors to Venice will pay a €10 tax if they visit the city from Friday to Sunday, meaning that visiting the city in the last three days of the week will be more expensive. The increased fee will also apply during holidays, such as Easter and Christmas. In total, tourists to Venice will have to pay more expensive fees for 54 days in 2025, up from 29 in 2024.
The Mayor pointed out that booking visits would be crucial for the city, which is one of the most popular destinations in Italy if not Europe.
Venice is at the forefront in tackling overtourism. Bookability has allowed us to have the numbers of visitors to this city, numbers we have never had available before, and that gave us very interesting information.
These Visitors Are Excluded From Paying the €10 Fee
Along with residents, Venetian-born visitors, students, and workers are not required to pay the €10 fee to visit the Italian city. Minors under 14 and tourists who have hotel or other reservations are also exempted from this requirement.
The Mayor is optimistic about the new measures, highlighting that the experiment has proven to be successful and will ensure Venice receives “the full respect it deserves”, as The Mirror reports.
According to Venice officials, the tax has generated over €2 million by the end of July 2024, coming from over 1,000 entries per day recorded during the days of the trial period. Among foreign tourists, Americans, Germans and French stood out for most visits to the ticket website.
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