Venice's new mayor seeks to double day-tripper fee to €50

Simone Venturini, Venice's rightwing new mayor and former tourism councillor, announced Friday that he hopes to raise the day-tripper entrance fee to as much as €50 (approximately £43), according to the Guardian. The proposal targets what city officials describe as 'periods of heightened tourist pressure'—essentially the peak summer and holiday seasons when Venice's narrow streets and fragile infrastructure face their greatest strain. Venturini said the higher fee would serve as a deterrent to casual visitors while generating revenue for the city's maintenance and restoration work.

The move reflects a broader European struggle with overtourism in heritage cities. Venice has become a symbol of this tension: the lagoon city receives roughly 30 million visitors annually, with day-trippers vastly outnumbering overnight guests. The infrastructure—medieval drainage systems, wooden pilings, and historic stonework—deteriorates under the weight of foot traffic. Previous mayors have experimented with entrance fees and visitor caps, but enforcement has proven difficult and political resistance from tourism businesses remains strong.