Venice mayor Simone Venturini proposes up to €50 day‑tourist fee

Newly elected Venice mayor Simone Venturini, who took office at the end of May 2024, plans to raise the city’s single‑day tourist entry charge. The fee, currently €5 for early online reservations and €10 for same‑day tickets, would be increased to €30‑50 on especially busy days. It would continue to apply on the 60 days between April and July, with payment made online and a QR code shown at city checkpoints. Visitors who stay overnight, residents of the Veneto region and children under 14 are exempt. In its first year the scheme generated about €2.4 million, rising to around €5.5 million in 2025, funds that the city says will support services, maintenance and preservation of the UNESCO‑listed lagoon city. Venturini will ask the Italian government for approval, as the maximum rate is set by national law. Critics, including former mayor Massimo Cacciari and constitutional law experts, call the proposal “barbaric” and warn it may breach freedom‑of‑movement provisions, while some hotel‑industry groups back the higher charge as a tool to curb overtourism.