Venice's mayor pushes day-tripper fee toward €50

Venice's new mayor, Simone Venturini, a rightwing former tourism councillor elected in late May, has signalled his intention to raise the city's entrance fee for day-trippers to as much as €50, according to the Guardian. The proposal, Venturini told the newspaper, is aimed at discouraging arrivals during what he calls "periods of heightened tourist pressure"—a euphemism for the summer months when the lagoon city receives tens of thousands of visitors daily.

The fee, which the city introduced in April 2022 as a pilot scheme, has become a flashpoint in the debate over Venice's survival as a functioning city rather than a museum. Day-trippers—visitors who arrive by train, coach or car and leave the same day—account for the overwhelming majority of the city's annual tourist arrivals. The current charge, which varies by season, has never exceeded €10 in peak periods. Raising it tenfold would represent a dramatic escalation in the city's strategy to manage visitor flows.