If a $5 fee is a good way to slow overtourism and protect the fragile ecosystem, then shouldn’t $10 work even better?
That’s the question in Venice, which has announced it will bring back last summer’s tourist tax—and double it to boot—for 2025.
Venice in 2024 introduced a €5 charge for visitors on 29 high-traffic peak-season dates, in an attempt to curb the crowds that sometimes overran its famous, but delicate, canals. The tourism office reports that the fee generated revenues of €2.4 million, about $2.5 million, last year.
Now it’s back for 2025, at double the rate and almost double the number of dates, which are now set at 54 days from April through July.
The charge applies to daytrippers entering Venice’s historic center between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Overnight guests, residents, students and those visiting relatives are exempt, while those booking four days or more in advance will get a 50% discount.
Venice reports that several cities have contacted its officials for information on how the program is working, as major cities around the world struggle with traffic issues.
Across the Atlantic, New York on January 5 started its own Urban American version, trying to stem the flow of cars and encourage the use of public transportation with a $9 Congestion Pricing fee on vehicles driving into downtown Manhattan between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Six weeks in, the Metropolitan Transit Association reported 1 million fewer cars entered the affected zone, cutting the time of inbound trips to Manhattan by 10% to 30%, and travel times during afternoon rush hour by 59%.