Venice puts off charging tourist entry fees till next year

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

The local tourism officials of Venice said that the planned new tourist entry fee has been put off from September 1st to January 1st next year. The delay was “unavoidable”, according to city councillor Michele Zuin, following months of discussions between city hall and tourism operators.

He told to the local media that some carriers and operators have initiated disputes appealing the rule, highlighting, among other things, the impossibility of adapting their operating systems consistently by the deadline of 1 September 2019.

The authorities announced the fee, of between 2.5 and 10 euros depending on the season, in December 2018.

The airlines and coach companies would be expected to pass on the new tax in their charges.

When the so-called “landing fee” was inititally announced, authorities said the charge would cover all visitors, whether they are staying overnight or not.

However, city mayor Luigi Brugnaro has since told to the local media that the charge would apply to day trippers only.

Venice attracts thousands of day trippers and walking tours in the peak summer months, including large numbers of cruise ship passengers, who escape the existing city tax charged by accommodation providers.

Described in Italian media as “hit and run tourism”, these short-term visitors are accused of contributing little or nothing to the local economy while worsening overcrowding in central areas.

Some 600 cruise ships stop at Venice every year, helping drive complaints that the city is being swamped by the millions of tourists who visit annually.

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