Tourist Tax in Venice Explained | Family Travel Genie

Venice, often hailed as the "Floating City," is universally celebrated for its intricate network of canals, stunning architecture, and ethereal ambiance. Yet, beneath its enchanting allure, there lies a lesser-known aspect for visitors: the Venice Visitor Tax.

In recent decades, Venice has emerged as a focal point of over tourism, with the year 2019 witnessing an overwhelming influx of 30 million tourists, a significant portion of whom were day-trippers.

Image: St. Mark's Cathedral in St. Mark's square in Venice, Italy

To address the challenges posed by mass tourism, Venice has unveiled a series of regulatory measures set to take effect in 2024. These include restrictions on the size of visiting groups and the introduction of a €5 entry fee for day visitors. This fee pertains specifically to the historic centre of Venice, exempting nearby islands like Murano.

The introduction of this fee follows a 30-day trial period scheduled for select weekends in the spring and summer of 2024, a rollout that was initially slated for January 2023 but delayed due to logistical concerns and apprehensions about its impact on tourism revenue.

Exemptions from this fee are provided for a range of visitors including overnight guests, local residents and those from the Veneto region, relatives of local inhabitants, individuals visiting for work or volunteering, students of Venetian universities, athletes participating in local events, and minors under the age of 14.

Image: Venice's serene canals, a mode of transport and a draw for tourists.

Visitors opting to stay overnight are not subjected to the entry fee but are required to pay a tourist tax introduced in 2011. This tax varies depending on the season, type of accommodation, and location, ranging between 1 to 5 euros per person per night for the first five nights.

In peak periods, a surge in the fee is anticipated when bookings exceed a predetermined threshold, yet to be disclosed.

The city has developed a multilingual online reservation system to facilitate pre-booking visits to Venice. Upon booking, visitors will receive a QR code, serving as their entry pass to be presented upon request.

Ticket inspectors will operate throughout the historic city, verifying tickets or proof of exemption. Plans are also underway to establish gateways at certain entry points, such as the railway station, to manage the influx of tourists more effectively.

For those arriving via public transport, there may be an option to purchase entry passes concurrently with travel tickets. Should this service be unavailable, transport operators will issue reminders to passengers about the booking requirement. Advance booking is advised as it may offer reduced ticket prices.

The primary objective behind this tax is to streamline tourist flow, thereby preserving Venice's integrity and ensuring a more enjoyable experience for visitors. This initiative also aims to alleviate the financial burden on Venetians, who currently bear the cost of maintaining city services including waste management, street and bridge repairs, and the upkeep of docks, embankments, and the city's rich cultural heritage.

Venice, alongside Barcelona and Amsterdam, epitomises the challenges of over tourism. Despite the strain on its ancient infrastructure, the allure of Venice continues to draw visitors in numbers that exceed its capacity, making such regulatory measures crucial for its preservation and the wellbeing of its residents.