ROME -- Venice is looking at expanding its tourist entry fee, applying it for a longer period of the year and raising the daily charge to as much as €30 (US$34), a senior official in the city government has said. Budget and taxation councilor Michele Zuin said the current fee of €5 to €10 was too low to safeguard against overtourism, but said the new price for 2027 would have to be discussed and agreed with the government. “The current €5-10 charge is affordable for virtually everyone; the risk is that it no longer has the deterrent effect that this measure is supposed to have,” Zuin told the Sunday edition of regional daily Il Gazzettino. In remarks that were widely picked up by national media on Monday, the councilor said there was “even talk of (going up to) €50,” but added that authorities could settle for a maximum charge of €30. The tourist fee, applicable only to day-trippers, was introduced in 2024, in a world first. Early bookers get to pay the lower rate, and there are several exemptions, including for children under 14. In 2026, it was operational on selected days from April 3 to July 26, from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and brought into city coffers more than €5.2 million from the sale of just under 680,000 entry tickets. In a city that has long suffered from overtourism and depopulation, local officials say the scheme is meant to encourage visitors to avoid the most crowded periods of the year, such as the May Day public holiday. (Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Keith Weir)
