Venice considers raising tourist fee to €30 while Rome rejects entry tax

Venice budget and taxation councillor Michele Zuin told recently to news agency Reuters that the current €5–€10 ($6–$12) charge has become too affordable to deter excessive visitor numbers. Any increase for 2027 would require discussions and agreement with the Italian 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 regional newspaper Il Gazzettino, in comments reported by Reuters.

He said proposals had included a fee of as much as €50 ($58), although a maximum of €30 ($35) could be considered.

Introduced in 2024, Venice’s entry fee was the first scheme of its kind globally. It applies to day-trippers rather than overnight visitors, with exemptions including children under 14. Those who book in advance pay the lower rate.

In 2026, the charge operated on selected days between April 3 and July 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The scheme generated more than €5.2 million ($6.1 million) from just under 680,000 tickets.

City officials say the objective is to spread visitor demand more evenly throughout the year and discourage day trips during peak periods, including the May Day holiday. Venice has struggled with overtourism and a declining resident population, prompting repeated efforts to protect its historic center. Venice had about 5.88 million official tourist arrivals in accommodation in 2024, including 3 91 million in the historic area.

Rome favours housing protections over visitor taxes
Rome, however, is taking a different approach in its fight to control overtourism in the Italian capital. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri has ruled out introducing a Venice-style entry ticket, arguing that protecting residential housing and the character of the historic center is a better way to manage tourism.

“It would make no sense to introduce here an entry ticket to the city, like they did in Venice,” Gualtieri told Bloomberg in an interview for the video podcast Quello che il potere non dice.

The mayor said Rome should remain open to visitors while preventing its historic neighborhoods from becoming dominated by tourist accommodation and businesses catering exclusively to travelers.

He favours stronger restrictions on short-term rentals to preserve housing for residents and maintain access to local shops and restaurants. Rome’s city assembly approved updated urban development rules this summer, including stronger protections for residential properties in the historic center.

Research released in September by real estate company Brixa found that Rome’s city center had more than 122,000 beds available for overnight stays, exceeding its population of 116,000-plus residents.

Rome recorded 22.9 million tourist arrivals in 2025, including 12 million international visitors, while overnight stays reached a record 52.92 million.

Gualtieri indicated that the goal is to discourage “hit-and-run tourism” and encourage visitors to spend more meaningfully in the city, while keeping Rome an open destination.