City officials in Venice have reported that the day-tripper tax collected 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million) during a trial period this summer. The tax, set at 5 euros per visitor, was paid 485,062 times over 29 test days from April 25 to July 14. The data revealed that Italians made up 60% of the visitors during this period, followed by tourists from the U.S., Germany, and France.
The city is considering extending the entrance fee system next year, possibly doubling it to 10 euros on certain days. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro mentioned the possibility of adjusting the fee based on the timing of payment. The tax was implemented to address the issue of overtourism in Venice, with an estimated 25 to 30 million annual arrivals of day-trippers and overnight guests.
Visitors not staying in city accommodations were required to download a QR code as proof of tax payment, with the transaction process taking an average of 2 minutes. Hotel guests and certain exempt groups were not subject to the day-tripper tax. The tax was seen as a success in terms of data collection and control over visitor numbers.
The day-tripper tax was introduced as a measure to manage tourism in Venice and prevent the city from being placed on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites in danger. The city's tourist official hailed the tax as a 'cultural revolution' for providing precise data on visitor movements in and out of Venice.
