I know this has been mentioned before here but the city just held a press conference and announced the fee will start on January 16, 2023. Visitors (with exclusions) will have to make a digital reservation online and pay a €3-10 fee, which amount will depend on how crowded Venice is on that particular day.
Visiting Venice? Make a reservation and be prepared to pay. (note: this is a NYT article but with no paywall)
The future of travel everywhere.
It sounds as if the effort will be "soft" to start, with part of the purpose to make people aware when peak times are (so may want to rethink). Also the fee comes with lots of exclusions (If your staying in Venice, if your attending some type of event, residents of course, those visiting family, I suppose pensioners, and other special groups as well).
While early on they spoke of a "cap" and the system certainly would be able to "deny" an application, there is no mention that they will actually limit people entering, more a fee to discourage.
SO ... no limits on the daily number of visitors ... just a laddered admission cost ... OK.
Well, you would think that would be the goal, but the practicality is that would be a mess. If they put a hard cap on visitors, then in all practicality, cruise lines would snap up their needs for the year, third parties would buy up slots to sell as "tours" (much the same happens with other sights that impose hard caps), and while Hotels include the fee (actually as an existing tax) in their price, third party and hotels themselves would likely jack the prices depending on the demand.
Probably best to "wait and see" on their part.
Then, without visitor caps, Venice is going with the easy tax grab - nothing more, nothing less.
Absolutely a tax grab. Who is going to avoid Venice for a day for 10 euro. This is a daily cash in on cruise lines and tour groups.
NOTE: Overnight tourists ARE NOT exempt.
Another important category of visitors that would not be required to pay the entry fee is overnight hotel guests since they will be paying the tourist tax through their hotel.
Agree with periscope - not many if any people would not go to Venice over a 10 euro fee unless it is the principle they object to.
@Threadwear. My reading was that the tourists already pay a tourist tax, not that an additional fee would be added on.
NOTE: Overnight tourists ARE NOT exempt.
This article does not go into it, but in reading other articles, I believe the per night cost in taxes already paid, and has been for years, covers entry. It did not appear that they would be raising the city tax portion of your hotel, but can't say for sure. They are exempt from having to register in the entry system though.
As I said, if a hard cap was put on, then I am sure some hotel owners would seize the opportunity to increase prices if demand warranted.
I hear you. Unless there's some sort of crowd control, I can't see that the fee will deter anyone at all. It could be sort of pricey for a daytripping family of, say, 2 adults and 4 kids over age 6, but still. Policing this thing, what with the list of exemptions, will be interesting.
The per-night accommodation tourist tax has been around a long time, and we've paid it in other locations in Italy so that doesn't bother me. Heck, some cities/accommodations here in the U.S. nickel-dime to death with taxes and fees: Mandatory per-night "resort" fees, parking fees, facility fees, state + county + city taxes.... I HATE resort fees as they can be really high - as much as $30 - $45 a night - for stuff like spas, pools and fitness facilities that we don't want or need; the first dealbreaker when looking for an accommodation. Haven't had to deal with that nonsense yet in Italy, thank goodness.
I have friends living in Venice, permanent residents. They have offered that I live in their apartment and mind their cat when they go on holiday.
I wonder how the tax is to be collected. I would not be a day visitor, nor staying in commercial accomodation.
