Iconic tourist destination slugging visitors with a “tourist tax”
The popular tourist destination of Venice has announced that they are going to start charging day-trippers a new tax from July 1st, 2020.
The day-trip tax for tourists was announced about a year ago, but the implementation of the tax has been delayed as authorities argued about how it would be enforced.
However, city officials have announced that while they’ll confirm the exact fee closer to the date, they will be charging between 3 and 10 euros ($AUD 4.90 to $16.30) a day for day-trip visitors.
Overnight tourists or visitors will be exempt as they already pay tax as a part of their accommodation fees.
There are also exemptions to be expected for those visiting Venice to work, study or visit family.
As Venice is a canal city that’s been popular amongst tourists, the floating city is struggling under the weight of overtourism.
With more than 20 million people visiting the destination each year, this is a far cry of their estimated permanent population of 260,000.
Locals have even begun to protest the amount of tourists who come and visit Venice.
A Venice local named Tommaso, who attended a protest at St Mark’s Square in June, said Venice’s lagoon has “never been so full”, leaving the city and locals at the “mercy of mass tourism”.