Venice's Experimental Tourism Tax Yields Millions for the City
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Photo: GettyImages
Venice's officials have declared the temporary entrance fee experiment a success as it helped manage the influx of tourists
Initiated on April 25 and concluding on July 14, the €5 reservation fee brought in €2,425,310 ($2.64 million), far surpassing the initial expectation of €700,000 ($762,163).
During this period, 3,618,114 reservations were made, with 1,398,084 tourists exempt due to hotel stays. Additional exemptions included workers (651,254), students (466,819), residents (217,589), relatives of residents (78,224), and others (107,146) for various reasons like cultural events and religious activities.
The city noted that Saturdays were the most popular among tourists, and overall attendance decreased over time on peak "red flag days." Local residents reported fewer crowds than usual, even ahead of the busy Redeemer Festival.
While the entrance fee ended on July 14, the city is considering reinstating it during peak times. Further analysis of the data will occur in the autumn.
Despite this success, Venice's mayor and aides face corruption investigations related to a commercial property development. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has denied the allegations, although a council member has resigned.